Welcome to the Ngepi family Mr and Mrs African Wood Owl
We would like to introduce you to our resident African wood owls! At night time they can be seen perched on a branch near the bar, making use of the insect-attracting lanterns to find their dinner…
Wood Owls eat arthropods, reptiles, small mammals and birds, which they catch on the wing, off the ground or in trees and shrubs. Sometimes they dive down to snatch their prey so quickly that you wonder if it really happened – It’s such a privelage having them around!
Wood owls are found in quite a few other African countries including Senegal, Ethiopia, Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, and the south and east coast of South Africa.
The male’s call is a rapid series of clear hoots, which the female typically answers in a higher pitched, but more leisurely tone.
During the day the pair are not as easily seen and usually roost in dense vegetation. Their nests, where the female lays between one and three eggs, are generally made in tree holes. These eggs are incubated by the female for around 31 days. During this time, the male does all the hunting and feeds the female at the nest. The hatchlings open their eyes to the world after about ten days. By around 45 days after hatching, the young are be competent fliers but remain with the parents until they’re about four months old.
Let’s hope we’ll see some little fluffy owlets around camp in the near future, we’ll keep you posted!