African Wildlife & Environment Issue 81

BIRDING

Finches, Wattled Starlings, Magpie Shrikes, herons, doves and Greater Galagos. If these are not available, they will nest in natural tree holes or in the fork of trees, where a flat area of around 200 mm is available. These sites range in height from two to 13 m upwards. The female will lay a clutch of two or three eggs, rarely four, at 1-to-3-day intervals. The 30 day incubation is mainly by the female, although the male may assist. Young chicks will start to fly at roughly 30 to 33 days, leaving the nest area two weeks thereafter; they are fed initially by the female and later by both parents Threats and conservation status IUCN conservation status - Least concern Predation recorded by Pale Chanting Goshawk Susceptible to secondary poisoning especially in urban areas where people still use rodenticides.

Food: They hunt by sitting quite still, then dropping down onto their victims on the ground. These owls are often seen around grassland fires, opportunistically waiting for their meal to be flushed out. Their main diet consists of rodents such as mice; however they will also eat insects and small reptiles and birds. Breeding: Pairs nest solitarily and their nest are spaced one to five km apart, depending on the suitability and availability of nest sites. These owls utilize disused stick-nests in trees especially those of smaller birds of prey, for example Gabar, Goshawk, Shikra, and Black-shouldered Kite as well as those of Pied- and Cape Crows, and Grey Go Away birds.They have also been known to use flattened old nests of sparrows, Scaly-feathered

John Wesson jwesson@wessanorth.co.za

Further reading Carlyon, John (2011) Nocturnal Birds of Southern Africa. Published by John Carlyon. South African Bird Atlas project 2. Animal Demographic Unit, University of Cape Town. Tarboton,WR. (2011). Roberts Nests & Eggs of Southern African Birds. John Voelcker Bird Book Fund Wikipedia

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