The greyish eagle-owl or vermiculated eagle-owl is a rather large owl of the northern part of sub-Saharan Africa. It was previously regarded as the northern subspecies of the spotted eagle-owl.
Region
Sahel and northern sub-Saharan Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs from West Africa east through the Sahel to Sudan, Ethiopia, and northern Kenya, with patchy presence in adjacent savannas. Habitats include open savanna, Acacia/Commiphora thornbush, semi-desert margins, and rocky outcrops. It frequents riverine woodland and agricultural mosaics and tolerates proximity to human settlements. Roosts by day in dense foliage, among rocks, or occasionally in buildings. Breeding sites are typically ground scrapes, cliff ledges, or old stick nests of other birds.
Altitude Range
0–2000 m
Climate Zone
Arid
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the vermiculated eagle-owl, it was formerly treated as the northern subspecies of the spotted eagle-owl. It favors semi-arid savannas and thorn scrub across the Sahel and often roosts in trees or on rocky ledges. Pairs are strongly territorial and may duet with alternating hoots at dusk. It commonly hunts around villages and streetlights where insects and small prey concentrate.
Greyish Eagle-owl in a cave at the Cliffs near Lake Baringo
Lake Bogoria - Kenya
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
strong flier with deep, powerful wingbeats; low-level quartering between perches
Social Behavior
Usually encountered singly or in monogamous pairs. Pairs maintain territories year-round and often roost near each other. Nesting is on the ground, cliff ledges, or in abandoned stick nests; 1–3 eggs are typical. Both parents guard and feed the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Deep, resonant hoots delivered in spaced sequences, the female higher-pitched than the male. Pairs perform antiphonal duets at dusk and dawn, sometimes interspersed with barks and gruff croaks.
Plumage
Overall greyish-brown with fine vermiculated barring above and paler underparts with narrow dark bars. Facial disc grey with darker rim; prominent ear tufts. Flight feathers and tail show dark barring; tarsi are fully feathered.
Diet
Takes a wide range of prey including large insects (beetles, moths), small mammals such as rodents, small birds, reptiles, and occasionally amphibians. Hunts mainly from a perch, dropping or gliding onto prey detected by sight and sound. Will forage near artificial lights that attract insects and small vertebrates. Diet composition varies with season and locality.
Preferred Environment
Edges of open savanna, thorn scrub, rocky kopjes, and riverine woodland where perches overlook open ground. Frequently uses farmlands and village margins where prey is abundant.
