Northern White-faced Owl Ptilopsis leucotis Scientific name definitions

24–25 cm (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); 204 g (mean of 16 birds) (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); wingspan 50 cm. Facial disc off-white, outlined in black; crown and nape light grey with dark grey vermicula­tions; long ear-tufts edged in black; upperparts pale grey to grey-brown, faintly vermiculated, with darker grey streaks, contrasting white scapular line ; flight-feathers and tail grey-brown, barred with light grey; greyish-white below , with thin dark grey streaks and fine vermiculations; irides deep amber-yellow to orange (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); bill creamy-horn; toes dusky-brown (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Dark morph darker, with brownish tinge, crown almost black; rare light morph very pale. Distinguished from <em>P. granti</em> by paler upperparts, yellower eyes. Juvenile paler and browner, head and breast not so heavily marked, facial disc pale grey, eyes yellow; also no ear-tufts and shorter tail.

Senegambia E to Somalia, S to N DRCongo, N Uganda and C Kenya.

Savanna and dry woodland with sparse ground cover, semi-desert with scattered thorn trees and wooded desert watercourses, to woodland with closed canopy (but avoids dense rainforest (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) ); also forest edge and clearings. Often occurs near settlements, even in suburban gardens and towns in W; commonly roosts in upper canopy of mango trees in rural villages. From sea-level to 1700 m.

Resident; possibly some short-distance movements depending on rains and prey abundance.

Small mammals such as rodents and shrews (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); also birds, small reptiles (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) and invertebrates including moths, beetles, crickets, spiders and scorpions. At 1 nest, 85% of prey small mammals, 10% arthropods, 5% birds. Requires c. 25 g food per day. Nocturnal and crepuscular hunter. Hunts from perch, including telegraph wires, and drops onto prey by flapping and gliding low over ground; sometimes hunts around street lights; swallows prey whole, rarely plucking larger birds.

Male song a mellow “whoh whoow”  , repeated at intervals of 4–8 seconds (2 Borrow, N., and R. Demey (2011). Birds of Senegal and The Gambia. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); female call similar to male's but weaker and lower-pitched (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Both sexes give a low “ta-wit-ta-weet” contact call.

Lays Jan–Sept; in Ghana said to breed Oct–Jan. Monogamous; solitary, but sometimes several pairs within 200 m of each other, and larger clutches, when food abundant (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Nest small to large stick platform of other bird, such as pigeon (Columbidae), turaco (Tauraco), eagle or hawk (Accipitridae) or heron (Ardeidae), sometimes cavity or crevice in tree, usually 2–8 m above ground. Clutch size 2–3 (1–4) eggs; egg size 36·6–37·3 mm × 30·3–31·3 mm (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); incubation from first egg, period c. 30 days; reports of brief incubation bouts by males apparently of unmarked birds; chick with whitish down; young brooded by female, male delivers food; young climb around outside nest at c. 27 days, can fly well at 30–32 days, remain with parents for at least 2 more weeks.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). CITES II. Locally common to uncommon throughout its range; less common and more local in E of range; rare resident in Somalia, only 11 confirmed records. No estimate of global population size; numbers assumed to be stable in absence of information on major threats. Occurs in a number of protected areas throughout its range, such as Abuko Nature Reserve in The Gambia, W National Park in Niger, Ouadi Rimé Reserve in Chad and Bamingui-Bangoran and Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Parks in Central African Republic.