Bird Guide

Cape Eagle-Owl vs Eurasian Eagle-Owl

Cape Eagle-Owl (Bubo capensis)

Cape Eagle-Owl

Bubo capensis

Large1.1 kgShrubland

This is a large owl, though intermediate in size among other large Bubo owls. Its total length ranges from 46 to 61 cm (18 to 24 in). Males weigh from 905 to 1,387 g (32 to 49 oz) while the larger females range from 1,240 to 1,800 g (44 to 63 oz). The wing chord measures 34.3–41.8 cm (13.5–16.5 in) while the tail measures 15.5–26.6 cm (6.1–10.5 in). This owl is dark brown above with prominent ear-tufts and yellow or yellowish-orange eyes. It is dark below with the sides of the breast being blotchy brown and the paler chest overlaid with white, black and tawny-fulvous markings, variously.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: s9-4pr · CC BY 2.0
Eurasian Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo)

Eurasian Eagle-Owl

Bubo bubo

Huge2.7 kgRocky

The Eurasian eagle-owl is among the larger birds of prey, smaller than the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), but larger than the snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus), despite some overlap in size with both of those species. It is sometimes referred to as the world's largest owl, although Blakiston's fish owl (K. blakistoni) is slightly heavier on average and the much lighter weight great grey owl (Strix nebulosa) is slightly longer on average. Heimo Mikkola reported the largest specimens of eagle-owl as having the same upper body mass, 4.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Eurasian Eagle-Owl
Recorded by Lionel Triboulin · Song · Arrondissement of Autun (near Marmagne), Saône-et-Loire, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France · CC0
Photo: Flickr user indygnome · CC BY 2.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Cape Eagle-Owl and Eurasian Eagle-Owl.