Bird Guide

African Wood Owl vs Mottled Wood Owl

African Wood Owl (Strix woodfordii)

African Wood Owl

Strix woodfordii

Large350 gForest

The African wood owl is a medium-sized owl which has the typical rounded head of the genus Strix, similar to the Palearctic tawny owl or Holarctic great grey owl, with large dark eyes outlined by white eyebrows. The rest of the head is generally dark brown with white spots and a prominent yellow beak. It has a white belly with brown barring and has and overall rich brown plumage with paler underparts, but this varies considerably across its range. Juveniles are a paler rufous colour. It is 30.5 to 35 cm (12.0 to 13.8 in) long and weighs from 240 to 350 grams (8.5 to 12.3 oz). Voice: The typical song, like that of the tawny owl, is a duet between the male and the female, the male makes a series of rapid, clear hoots, and the female answers with higher pitched, more leisurely hoots. Each series of hoots (for each sex) comprise three groups of syllables (WHU-hu, WHU-hu-hu, hu-hu). Calling begins after dusk.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the African Wood Owl
Recorded by Louis A. Hansen · Song · Arabuko-Sokoke, T-junction at Elephant road, Kenya · CC BY 4.0
Photo: Robert Lewis from Berkeley, CA, USA · CC BY 2.0
Mottled Wood Owl (Strix ocellata)

Mottled Wood Owl

Strix ocellata

Large559 gWoodland

This large owl lacks ear tufts and is mottled and vermiculated in reddish brown and white. The face disc is marked with fine concentric black and white barring. The sexes are alike. The chin is white. The eyelid is orange, and the iris is dark brown. The tail is barred narrowly in brown and black. The concentric barring on the face and mottled crown separate it from the brown wood owl in southern India. There are three subspecies recognized and there are no sharp demarcations in their distributions. S. o.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Mottled Wood Owl
Recorded by Dinesh Chaudhary · Call · Dang (near Mahardar), Gujarat, India · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Pramod CL · CC BY 4.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: African Wood Owl and Mottled Wood Owl.