Milky eagle owl

Physical features

This owl is named for its bare, white to pink upper eyelids that are distinctive to this species. When it blinks, a flash of this white or pink is seen. Some believe this may serve as a means of communication. During the breeding season, the male’s white eyelids swell and turn pink or purple. This cues not only females, but also other males.
Eagle owls are named after eagles due to their large size.
Generally standing about 2 feet tall and weighing 5 or 6 pounds, the milky eagle owl is the largest owl species in Africa. Females are generally larger than males.
Their powerful feet and talons enable them to take down prey nearly as large as they are.
As with other owls the feathers on their wings have particularly soft edges, enabling them to fly silently. Noiseless flight makes it easy for them to sneak up on their prey.

Wild – Small to medium-sized mammals and birds including hedgehogs, hare, guineafowl, hyrax, springhaas, genets, smaller primates etc. and occasionally reptiles, fish, or invertebrates
Zoo – Mice, rats, chicks, bird-of-prey diet, quail, etc.

These birds breed between March and September.
They generally occupy stick nests abandoned by other birds, particularly those of vultures, crows, or hamerkops.
A clutch consists of 2 eggs.
Incubation: 35 days
One chick usually disappears within the first 2 weeks. The surviving chick fledges after about 9 weeks.
Although they are considered independent after about 6 months, some will stay on with their parents for as long as 2 years and may assist at the nest.
The parents may stay together for years to come. They raise chicks yearly if food is abundant, or when food is scarce, every other year.

Major threats: Habitat destruction
Although considered common throughout much of their range, milky eagle owls may soon be under pressure from habitat loss due to human development. Fortunately, in the eastern part of their range, much of the savanna is already protected against such development.

Although they are sometimes seen at dawn or dusk, these owls are nocturnal and do most of their hunting at night. The daytime hours are generally spent roosting in shaded trees.
Being active at night and living in the woods, they are not easily observed. For this reason, relatively few studies have been conducted on this species.
Milky eagle owls live alone or in pairs.
These owls are so large, there are reports of them preying upon animals as large as monkeys, secretary birds, and other raptors. Being so large is an advantage for these birds. They have little competition for food because other local owls are not large enough to take down prey of this size.
On occasion, milky eagle owls have been spotted following prey on the ground or even going into the water after it.
Its call is a deep hoot, which can be heard at great distances.
This species was first classified by the Verreaux brothers of France during the early 1800s. The species may also be referred to as the Verreaux’s eagle owl or giant eagle owl.

BirdLife International. (2004). Bubo lacteus. Retrieved March 21, 2008, from the 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Web site: http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/48534/summ.
Brookfield Zoo (1998). Milky Eagle Owl. Retrieved December 2, 2005, from:
www.brookfieldzoo.org/pagegen/inc/savann.pdf.
Hawk Conservancy Trust (2005). Milky Eagle Owl. Retrieved November 26, 2005, from:
www.hawk-conservancy.org/priors/milkyowl.shtml.
Kruger National Park (2005). Eagle Owl. Retrieved November 26, 2005, from:
www.krugerpark.co.za/africa_eagle_owl.html.
World Owl Trust (2005). Verreaux’s Eagle Owl. Retrieved November 26, 2005, from:
www.owls.org/Species/bubo/verreauxs_eagle_owl.htm.
Zimmerman, D., Turner, D., & Pearson, D. (1996). Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Updated March 2008

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