Pharaoh Eagle-Owl Bubo ascalaphus Scientific name definitions

45–50 cm (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); male c. 1900 g, female c. 2300 g (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Facial disc light tawny-rufous with darker rim; tawny head and neck streaked with dark brown; upperparts tawny with black streaks and blotches, buffish mottling; flight-feathers less distinctly barred; conspicuous white throat patch; sandy-rufous below, chest with broad black streaks, lower breast to belly with very fine vermiculations; underwing almost white; tarsus fully feathered; irides yellow to deep orange; cere greyish; bill black; claws blackish-brown with darker tips (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Distinguished from narrowly sympatric <em>B. bubo</em> by smaller size (c. 20% smaller), shorter ear tufts, paler appearance, less streaked and more mottled; from <em>B. capensis</em> by paler and less variegated plumage. Juvenile more barred than blotched on upperparts and breast, ear tufts not fully developed. Form "<em>desertorum</em> " slightly smaller and paler, more sandy, with very pale underparts .

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NW Africa and N Egypt E to Jordan and N to C Iraq (2 Al-Sheikhly, O.F. (2012). Breeding of Pharaoh Eagle Owl Bubo ascalaphus in Iraq. Sandgrouse. 34(1): 72-74. Close ), S in Sahara to Mauritania and Niger and to C Sudan and Eritrea (possibly N Ethiopia), and Arabian Peninsula.

Rocky desert hills, mountains and wadis with gorges and cliffs , and open desert with rock outcrops (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); extends S into dry savanna. Roosts by day in rock cleft or crevice, occasionally in tree if present.

Resident (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); presumably some wandering by juveniles.

Small mammals, especially rodents, with gerbils (Gerbillus) favoured prey; also birds, amphibians (rarely), reptiles and various invertebrates; one record of predation on the crab Portunus pelagicus (3 Barceló Llanes, I., Tourenq, C., Drew, C. and Al Dhaheri, S. (2008). Presence of the blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus) in the diet of the Pharaoh Eagle-Owl (Bubo ascalaphus) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Journal of Raptor Research. 42(1): 70-72. Close ). Generally opportunistic (4 Mohedano, I., Abu Baker, M.A., Hunter, B., Buchan, J., Michaels, C.J. and Yamaguchi, N. (2014). On the diet of the Pharaoh Eagle Owl, Bubo ascalaphus (Savigny, 181299), in Qatar, with an overview of its feeding habits. Zoology in the Middle East. 60(2): 111-119. Close ), taking any animal food available, including desert foxes, hares, bats and scorpions. In Morocco, diet dominated by the rodent genera Gerbillus (37% of 1493 prey items) and Meriones (32%); avian prey included Tyto alba, Athene noctua and Falco tinnunculus (5 Thévenot, M. (2006). Aperçu du régime alimentaire du Grand-duc d’Afrique du Nord Bubo ascalaphus à Tata, Moyen Draa. Go-South Bulletin. 3: 28-30. Close ). Small sample of prey from Algeria consisted of 48% rodents, 47% invertebrates, and a few lizards and birds (6 Sekour, M., Baziz, B., Denys, C., Doumandji, S., Souttou, K. and Guezoul, O. (2010). [Diet of Little Owl Athene noctua, Barn Owl Tyto alba, Long-eared Owl Asio otus and Desert Eagle Owl Bubo ascalaphus]. Alauda. 78(2): 103-117. In French with English summary. Close ); similarly, small samples of prey items from two studies in Egypt comprised of 56% rodents, 2% birds, 8% lizards and 34% insects (7 Sándor, A.D. and Orbán, Z. (2008). Food of the Desert Eagle Owl (Bubo ascalaphus) Savigny, 18111089, in Siwa Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt. Zoology in the Middle East. 44(1): 107-109. Close ) and 78% rodents, 10% birds, 4% lizards and 8% arthropods (8 Moldován, I. and Sándor, A.D. (2009). Breeding and food habits of a pair of urban Desert Eagle Owls Bubo ascalaphus in Hurghada, Red Sea coast, Egypt. Sandgrouse. 31(1): 73-78. Close ), respectively. In a study at Banc d’Arguin NP, Mauritania, 1351 of 1926 prey items were birds, mostly waders (13 species); Charadrius hiaticula, Calidris alpina, and Calidris canutus together made up 42% of all prey items (9 Kayser, Y. (2012). Régime alimentaire du Grand-Duc d’Afrique du Nord Bubo ascalaphus au Cap Tafarit, Parc National du Banc d’Arguin, Mauritanie. Go-South Bulletin. 9: 131–132. Close ). Pellets collected in Jordan yielded 107 prey items, of which 74% were rodents, 13% insectivorous mammals, 7% birds, and 6% lizards, beetles and a snake (10 Shehab, A.H. and Ciach, M. (2008). Diet composition of the Pharaoh Eagle Owl, Bubo ascalaphus, in Azraq Nature Reserve, Jordan. Turkish Journal of Zoology 32(1): 65-69. Close ). Crepuscular or nocturnal; hunts from perch.

Single deep, downslurred “whu”  ; in courtship also 3-note hoot; voice slightly higher than B. bubo; quacking call in alarm.

Lays Jan–Mar (8 Moldován, I. and Sándor, A.D. (2009). Breeding and food habits of a pair of urban Desert Eagle Owls Bubo ascalaphus in Hurghada, Red Sea coast, Egypt. Sandgrouse. 31(1): 73-78. Close ), one suspected case of double brooding in Egypt in which nestlings found on same territory had estimated hatching dates of at least 4 months apart (11 Sándor, A.D. and Moldován, I. (2010). A possible case of double brooding of Pharaoh Eagle Owls (Bubo ascalaphus Savigny, 18110979) in Egypt. African Journal of Ecology. 48(4): 1129-1130. Close ). Monogamous; pairs for life. Nest a scrape in rock crevice, among rocks or on ground, sometimes down well (in darkness); sometimes old nest of large bird or tree hole in desertified areas of sub-Sahara; same territory maintained for many years. Clutch size 2–4 eggs (usually 2); size range 55–62 mm × 45–50 mm (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); incubation by female, fed by male, period 31–36 days; chick with buffish-white down  ; young brooded and fed by female, male provides food; disperse from nest at 20–35 days, fully fledged at 52–70 days, independent by 20–26 weeks. One remarkable case of 6 nestlings observed in Saudi Arabia in early Apr 2013 (12 Ismail, K. and Zafar-ul Islam, M. (2014). Desert Eagle-Owl breeding in Mahazat as-Sayd Protected Area, central Saudi Arabia. Phoenix. 30: 12. Close ). First breeding at 2–3 years.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). CITES II. Little information on population levels, and none on population trends, but probably not uncommon in most of range. In S Israel , c. 50 pairs estimated in early 1990s. Possibly subject to human persecution locally (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); e.g. found in animal market in Iraq (2 Al-Sheikhly, O.F. (2012). Breeding of Pharaoh Eagle Owl Bubo ascalaphus in Iraq. Sandgrouse. 34(1): 72-74. Close ).