Bird Album
Cape Eagle-Owl
Bubo capensis Smith, A, 1834
46–61 cmLength1.1 kgWeight
The Cape eagle-owl (Bubo capensis) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae.
Most records: Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa
Where and when it's recorded
Cape Eagle-Owl has been recorded at 21 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 5 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Bale Mts – Dinsho Park HQEthiopia40 records
- Lake Nakuru NPKenya12 records
- Sani Pass (ZA) – low elevationSouth Africa7 records
More places
- Debre Libanos – Lodge and Portuguese BridgeEthiopia5 records
- Lake AwassaEthiopia3 records
- Wondo GenetEthiopia3 records
- Yabello areaEthiopia2 records
- Aberdare NPKenya2 records
- Naro Moru River LodgeKenya2 records
- Mt Kenya NP – Castle Forest and LodgeKenya2 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 Cape eagle-owl (Bubo capensis) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is one of several large species of the eagle-owl genus Bubo.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Cape Eagle-Owl?
The Cape Eagle-Owl is about 46–61 cm long and weighs around 1.1 kg.
Where does the Cape Eagle-Owl live?
Its breeding range: Africa: southern, southeastern, eastern. It is most often recorded in Ethiopia, Kenya and South Africa.
Is the Cape Eagle-Owl endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Cape Eagle-Owl as Least Concern.
What does the Cape Eagle-Owl eat?
Main food: Vertebrate prey.
What family is the Cape Eagle-Owl in?
It belongs to the family Owls (Strigidae), order Strigiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 46–61 cm
- Weight
- 1.1 kg
- Habitat
- Shrubland
- Diet
- Vertebrate prey
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 361 mm
- Tail
- 190 mm
- Bill
- 40 mm
- Tarsus
- 73 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: southern, southeastern, eastern
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Owls Strigidae
- Genus
- Bubo
Other birds in the genus Bubo
Snowy OwlBubo scandiacus
Great Horned OwlBubo virginianus
Lesser Horned OwlBubo magellanicus
Eurasian Eagle-OwlBubo bubo
Indian Eagle-OwlBubo bengalensis
Pharaoh Eagle-OwlBubo ascalaphus
Arabian Eagle-OwlBubo milesi
Greyish Eagle-OwlBubo cinerascens
Spotted Eagle-OwlBubo africanus
Papuan Hawk-OwlUroglaux dimorpha
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by pieterlag. ↗
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