Pel's Fishing-Owl Scotopelia peli Scientific name definitions

51–61 cm (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); female 2055–2325 g (n = 4) (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); wingspan 150–153 cm (2 Mikkola, H. (2014). Owls of the World. A Photographic Guide. 2nd edition. Firefly Books, Buffalo, NY, USA. Close ). Largest fishing-owl. Round head with long “loose” feathering, no ear tufts, lacks prominent facial disc ; rufous upperparts with fine dusky bars , scapulars with some buff-white, tail with broad dusky bars; paler rufous below, with fine dusky streaks, becoming chevron marks on flanks ; tarsus and toes unfeathered; irides dark brown; cere grey; bill dark grey or black (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); toes pale straw-coloured (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Considerable individual variation in colour and barring, some with melanistic or ablinistic feathers. Sexes similar, female often paler than male. Might be confused with S. ussheri, which is smaller and brighter, with dark honey-brown iris and simple shaft-streaks on underparts not ending in spots, or S. bouvieri, which is also smaller, has densely vermiculated upperparts, heavily streaked whitish underparts and yellow bill and cere (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Juvenile with body and head whitish, washed rufous; as adult at 15 months.

Locally from Senegambia E to Benin, and from Nigeria S across Congo Basin and C Africa to Botswana, Mozambique and E South Africa; also SE Sudan, N South Sudan, Ethiopia, S Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania; status in S Mali, Burkina Faso and S Niger unclear.

Forested edges of lowland perennial rivers , swamps and lakes, estuaries, mature secondary forests (3 Cooper, J. C., L. L. Powell, and J. D. Wolfe (2016). Notes on the birds of Equatorial Guinea, including nine first country records. Bulletin of the African Bird Club 23(2):152–163. Close ); favours large riparian trees with deep cover and shade, also river islands. Mainly along larger rivers in C Africa (4 Dowsett-Lemaire, F., and R. J. Dowsett (2008). Selected notes on birds of Gola Forest and surroundings, Sierra Leone, including three new species for the country. Bulletin of the African Bird Club 15:215–227. Close ). Sea-level to 1700 m (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Resident, but with some local wandering recorded, e.g. in Malawi (5 Dowsett-Lemaire, F., and R. J. Dowsett (2006). The Birds of Malawi: An Atlas and Handbook. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close ). Seasonal fluctuations in water levels force some to move to adjacent territories or floodplains; concentrations of up to 5 birds can occur at single pools during severe drought (6 Branfield, A. (2013). Variations on the call of the Pel’s Fishing Owl Scotopelia peli. Ornithological Observations. 4: 123-126. Close ).

Mainly fish  , e.g. Clarias spp. (7 Berry, P.S.M. and Dowsett, R.J. (2003). Pel’s Fishing Owl, Scotopelia peli, preying on a small crocodile. Ostrich. 74(1-2): 133. Close ); also frogs, crabs and freshwater mussels (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); occasional large insects and once a young (55 cm long) Crocodilus niloticus (7 Berry, P.S.M. and Dowsett, R.J. (2003). Pel’s Fishing Owl, Scotopelia peli, preying on a small crocodile. Ostrich. 74(1-2): 133. Close ). Most fish prey in size range 100–200 g, but up to 2000 g recorded. Normally nocturnal; occasionally emerges during day. Hunts from perch 1–2 m above water, usually shallow, gliding down to snatch prey from surface, rarely submerging partially; sometimes wades into water from bank. Prey probably detected visually, from surface ripples; acoustical cues probably not used (transmission of sound across water–air interface poor), but squeakers (Synodontis spp.), a major item of diet, produce sound by grating their fin bones, may reveal their general location.

Male gives sonorous, horn-like hoot  (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), usually followed by deep grunt, “hoooommmm-hut”  , audible to 3 km; female may respond with higher hoot followed by double note “hoot-oot”. Phrases repeated at intervals of c. 10 seconds (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Penetrating trills given when feigning injury, while female and large young utter wailing “wheeoouu”  when begging, and small chicks give cheeping notes (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Birds roosting in close proximity to one another during drought conditions may give grunting calls, "hoom-hoom-hoom", that resemble calls of a Southern Ground-hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri) (6 Branfield, A. (2013). Variations on the call of the Pel’s Fishing Owl Scotopelia peli. Ornithological Observations. 4: 123-126. Close ).

Lays Oct–Jun, peak Feb–Apr; timed to ensure brood-feeding at period when water level falling and prey concentrated. Monogamous. Nest 3–12 m up in natural cavity in tree, once apparently in old Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta) nest (8 Dowsett, R. J., D. R. Aspinwall, and F. Dowsett-Lemaire (2008). The Birds of Zambia. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close ), usually within 200 m of water (exceptionally 1·5 km distant) (5 Dowsett-Lemaire, F., and R. J. Dowsett (2006). The Birds of Malawi: An Atlas and Handbook. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close ); territory often quite small and nests sometimes just 250–300 m apart (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Clutch 1–2 white eggs, mean size 62·5 mm × 52·1 mm, mass 85 g (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), usually only one chick surviving (the other probably starves) (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); incubation c. 32–33 days probably starting with first egg (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), by female, fed by male; chick has white down and weighs 60–70 g on hatching (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), brooded and fed by female, food caught by mate; fledges at 68–70 days when 1400–1700 g (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), remains within parental territory 6–9 months after fledging. In Botswana, 13 pairs made ten breeding attempts, fledged five chicks; four of 13 eggs addled, eggs and chicks disappeared for unknown reasons; when successful, may not breed in following year.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). CITES II. Common in Congo Basin, in Botswana (Okavango delta), and in swamps of Caprivi Strip in NE Namibia and also those in C Africa; also common locally in Transvaal, e.g. along R Levubu, where 5–8 pairs recorded along 18 km (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). However, numbers have probably declined dramatically outside protected areas in Malawi (5 Dowsett-Lemaire, F., and R. J. Dowsett (2006). The Birds of Malawi: An Atlas and Handbook. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close ). Appears to be uncommon to rare in rest of range: e.g. in Kenya, known only from R Tana and secluded parts of R Mara; rare and local in W Africa, where just one definite record in Togo, in 1902, although species is present in neighbouring Benin (9 Claffey, P.M. (1997). The status of the Pel’s Fishing Owl Scotopelia peli in the Togo-Bénin Gap. Bulletin of the African Bird Club. 4(2): 135-136. Close ). Overall densities variable, one pair/1–10 km of river, depending on number of suitable sites for fishing, nesting and roosting, with 23 territories along 60 km of river in Botswana (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Variable conditions, with cycles of drought, severely disrupt its normal lifestyle; sometimes forced to forgo breeding, and immatures may have trouble finding suitable stretch of river on which to establish territory; many starve during dry season. Destruction of riverine growth a threat. Damming and silting of rivers can have adverse effect on species, and in some areas water pollution possibly a problem. Further study needed.