Bird Album
African Wood Owl
Strix woodfordii (Smith, A, 1834)
30–35 cmLength350 gWeight
The African wood owl (Strix woodfordii) or Woodford's owl, is a typical owl from the genus Strix in the family Strigidae and is arguably the most common forest owl in Africa.
Most records: Uganda, South Africa, Ghana
Where and when it's recorded
African Wood Owl has been recorded at 251 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 28 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Arabuko-Sokoke Forest NRKenya241 records
- Bale Mts – Dinsho Park HQEthiopia183 records
- Caprivi Houseboat LodgeNamibia159 records
More places
- Entebbe Botanical GardenUganda136 records
- Ankasa NPGhana135 records
- Okavango Delta – Xaro LodgeBotswana127 records
- Farasuto Forest Community NRGambia120 records
- Kruger NP – Skukuza CampSouth Africa89 records
- Ngare Sero Mountain LodgeTanzania78 records
- Kibale NPUganda76 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The African wood owl (Strix woodfordii) or Woodford's owl, is a typical owl from the genus Strix in the family Strigidae and is arguably the most common forest owl in Africa. It inhabits wooded areas and possesses a distinctive call. During the day it roosts singly or in pairs in dense cover, high in trees, whilst at night it forages for food.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the African Wood Owl?
The African Wood Owl is about 30–35 cm long and weighs around 350 g.
Where does the African Wood Owl live?
Its breeding range: Africa: widespread. It is most often recorded in Uganda, South Africa and Ghana.
Is the African Wood Owl endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the African Wood Owl as Least Concern.
What does the African Wood Owl eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the African Wood Owl in?
It belongs to the family Owls (Strigidae), order Strigiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 30–35 cm
- Weight
- 350 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 256 mm
- Tail
- 150 mm
- Bill
- 32 mm
- Tarsus
- 43 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: widespread
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Owls Strigidae
- Genus
- Strix
Other birds in the genus Strix
Spotted Wood OwlStrix seloputo
Mottled Wood OwlStrix ocellata
Brown Wood OwlStrix leptogrammica
Tawny OwlStrix aluco
Maghreb OwlStrix mauritanica
Himalayan OwlStrix nivicolum
Desert OwlStrix hadorami
Omani OwlStrix butleri
Spotted OwlStrix occidentalis
Barred OwlStrix varia
Cinereous OwlStrix sartorii
Fulvous OwlStrix fulvescens
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by markus lilje. ↗
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