Pel's fishing owl facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pel's fishing owl |
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The Pel's fishing owl (scientific name: Scotopelia peli) is a very large owl found in Africa. These amazing birds live close to rivers and lakes. They hunt mostly at night, catching fish and frogs right from the water's surface. They like slow-moving rivers with big trees hanging over the water, where they can rest and hunt. Pel's fishing owls build their nests in hollows or forks of large trees. Even though they might lay two eggs, usually only one baby owl grows up.
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About the Pel's Fishing Owl Name
This owl's common name and its scientific name, peli, honor Hendrik Severinus Pel. He was a governor in what was then called the Dutch Gold Coast, which is now the country of Ghana. He served there from 1840 to 1850.
What Pel's Fishing Owls Look Like
Pel's fishing owl is one of the biggest owl species in the world. It can be about 51 to 63 centimeters (20 to 25 inches) long. Its wings can spread out to about 153 centimeters (60 inches) wide. These owls can weigh up to 2.35 kilograms (5.2 pounds). Females are usually a bit heavier than males.
These owls are well-suited for catching fish. Unlike most owls, their toes and lower legs have very few feathers. This helps keep them from getting too wet when they fish. They also have spiky scales on the bottom of their feet. These scales help them grip slippery fish, much like other birds that hunt fish. Most owls have soft edges on their flight feathers, which makes them silent flyers. But Pel's fishing owls don't need to be silent to hunt fish, so their feathers are not as soft. This means you might hear them fly.
Adult Pel's fishing owls are a rich reddish-brown color. They have dark stripes on their upper bodies and dark spots on their undersides. The feathers around their heads are loose and long, making their heads look a bit shaggy. Their eyes are very dark, almost black. Both male and female owls look similar, but females are often less reddish and have a less clear facial disc. Young owls are more of a plain light brown color. Unlike many other owls, Pel's fishing owls have very small ear tufts, which makes their heads look very round.
Pel's Fishing Owl Calls
The male Pel's fishing owl makes a deep, booming sound, like a horn. It often starts with one deep sound, then follows with a higher-pitched "huhuhu." The male also makes a hooting sound, which is higher than most large owls, followed by a soft grunt, like "whoommmm-wot." These calls can be heard from up to 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) away. When a male sings, its throat and chest often puff up a lot. Female owls make similar calls, but they are higher-pitched and sometimes sound like a double note, like "hoot-oot." Young owls and females at the nest make a shrill "wheeoouu" sound when they are waiting for food.
Where Pel's Fishing Owls Live
Pel's fishing owls live in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, which is the area south of the Sahara Desert. However, they are not found everywhere and can be quite rare in some places, especially drier areas. You can find them in countries like Nigeria, Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and across central Africa. They also live in eastern Zaire, South Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, and further south in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and eastern South Africa.
These owls prefer forests along rivers and lakes. They can live in swamps and estuaries near the sea, and even up to about 1,700 meters (5,600 feet) high. Their favorite places are river forests with big trees. They also like islands with large, old trees in big rivers, swamps, or lakes, as long as the islands are not too far from the shore. Pel's fishing owls usually stay in one area and do not move around much with the seasons. However, young owls that are not yet breeding might travel a bit before finding their own territory.
Pel's Fishing Owl Behavior
Pel's fishing owls are mostly active at night. They are often loudest on moonlit nights, especially around dawn. But sometimes, you might see them active during the day, especially if it's hard to find food. During the day, they usually rest on a large tree branch. Often, a male and female owl will rest together. As evening comes, they leave their resting spot and perch on things like stumps or branches that hang over the water.
Diet and Feeding
The main food for Pel's fishing owls is fish. They can catch fish that weigh up to 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds). However, most of the fish they catch are much smaller, usually weighing about 100 to 200 grams (3.5 to 7 ounces). They are not picky about the type of fish they eat. Any fish that is the right size and near the water's surface can be caught. Unlike some other fish-eating owls, Pel's fishing owls eat almost only fish. They might also eat other water animals like frogs, crabs, mussels, and large insects. Once, a Pel's fishing owl was even seen eating a baby Nile crocodile.
When hunting, these owls perch over the water. They watch for ripples in the water that show a fish is moving. Then, they swoop down to grab the fish with their strong claws. After catching the fish, they fly back to their perch to eat it. Unlike many other birds that eat fish, Pel's fishing owls rarely go underwater or get very wet while hunting. Sometimes, they might even wade into shallow water along sandbanks to find food.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Pel's fishing owls nest during the dry season. This is a good time because the water levels are lower and clearer, making it easier to see fish. They stay with one partner and defend their territory, which is a section of a river or lake shore. All their activities happen close to water. They claim their territory by hooting at the start of the breeding season. If there is a lot of food, many owl pairs can live close to each other.
Their nest is usually a natural hollow or hole in an old, shady tree near the water. Often, the nest is where thick branches come out from the tree trunk. They usually lay one or two eggs. The eggs are about 62.5 by 52.1 millimeters (2.5 by 2 inches) and weigh around 85 grams (3 ounces). The female lays the eggs when water levels are high or starting to drop. This way, when the babies hatch, the water levels are low, and there is plenty of concentrated prey for them to eat.
The female owl does all the incubation, sitting on the eggs for about 32 days. During this time, the male owl brings her food. If there are two eggs, they hatch about 5 days apart. The second chick often disappears, probably because it doesn't get enough food. When they hatch, the chicks weigh about 60 to 70 grams (2 to 2.5 ounces). Their eyes open about 7 days later. By 20 days old, they weigh around 500 grams (1.1 pounds). Their weight then increases a lot, reaching about 1,400 to 1,700 grams (3 to 3.7 pounds) by the time they are 68 to 70 days old.
Young owls stay in their parents' territory for 6 to 9 months after they learn to fly. They look like adult owls by about 10 months of age. If their babies are in danger, both parents might try to distract predators. They might act as if they are hurt and make loud screeches to draw attention away from the nest. Pel's fishing owls might even attack African fish eagles that come too close to their nests. Fish eagles and Verreaux's eagle-owls are probably the only animals that might hunt Pel's fishing owls. However, these two large owls rarely meet because they live in different types of places. Because young owls take a long time to become fully independent, Pel's fishing owls usually only breed every other year.
Status of Pel's Fishing Owls
The number of Pel's fishing owls can vary a lot. In some places, they are rare, while in others, they are quite common. This depends on how good the local environment is for them. Because they need large waterways with lots of fish and old, mature trees, they are very sensitive to changes in their habitat.
Some problems they face include:
- Damming rivers: Building dams can change water flow and affect fish.
- Siltification: When too much mud and dirt build up in rivers, it can harm fish and their habitat.
- Water removal: Taking water out of rivers for farming can reduce water levels.
- Water pollution: Dirty water can harm fish and the owls that eat them.
- Overfishing: Too much fishing by humans can reduce the owls' food supply.
- Habitat loss: Cutting down trees along rivers or damage from too many elephants can destroy their roosting and nesting spots.
Even in protected areas, human activities upstream can still affect the fish and trees the owls need. Overall, Pel's fishing owls are found in many places, and their populations seem to be stable right now. Because of this, the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) lists them as a species of "least concern." However, in some areas like Namibia, their future could be at risk if the climate becomes drier and more people rely on and impact the river systems.
