Fraser's eagle owl
| Fraser's Eagle Owl | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom Information | |
| Domain | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Subkingdom | Bilateria |
| Branch | Deuterostomia |
| Phylum Information | |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Sub-phylum | Vertebrata |
| Infraphylum | Gnathostomata |
| Class Information | |
| Superclass | Tetrapoda |
| Class | Aves |
| Sub-class | Neornithes |
| Infra-class | Neoaves |
| Order Information | |
| Order | Strigiformes |
| Family Information | |
| Family | Strigidae |
| Sub-family | Striginae |
| Genus Information | |
| Genus | Bubo |
| Species Information | |
| Species | B. poensis |
| Population statistics | |
| Conservation status | Least concern[1] |
Fraser's eagle owl (Bubo poensis) is a species of bird of prey of the family Strigidae, and found in much of central Africa. It is named for Louis Fraser, a British museum curator, collector, and zoologist.
Description
Fraser's eagle owl is a relatively small owl, reaching no more than 15 inches long in males, and 17 inches for females. The plumage is predominantly reddish and creamy. The chest and belly is white in color, marked throughout with brown to blackish bands; the upper parts are similarly marked. It has a conspicuous feathered ear tufts and a creamy-rufus facial disk, framed in black. The beak is pale blue-green. The eyes are dark brown. The toes are not feathered.
Range and habitat
Fraser's eagle owl is found on the island of Bioko in the Gulf of Guinea, eastward over the tropical rainforests of West Africa to the Congo and southwestern Uganda, and south to extreme northwestern Angola. Its habitat is lowland rainforests, often near forest edges and clearings; and in secondary forests, and in agricultural plantations with a large amount of foliage. In Cameroon, it is found at elevations 4,800 feet above sea level.
Habits
Fraser's eagle owl has only been very-superficially examined. What little that is known suggests that it is active at night until dawn, and at rest it seeks concealment within dense foliage. The diet includes small mammals, birds, frogs and reptiles as well as insects and spiders, and identified from recovered pellets. The beginning of the breeding season varies according to the distribution area: in Liberia it breeds in the period from February to May, but in Cameroon in the period from July to December. There are indications that it breeds directly on the ground as well as in tree hollows.
