Juvenile Pel’s Fishing Owl seen a few weeks ago. Pel's Fishing Owl is highly sought by birders -- we saw a pair of them flying later in the trip, so incredible, huge and a deep red-brown color. These birds can be considered an indicator species for valuable river ecosystems, as their presence suggests a healthy river system and freshwater habitat. Range length: 55 to 63 cm. Habitat. The feet are similar to that of the Osprey with a rough surface perfectly adapted to grip fish. Of all the owl species found in Southern Africa the enigmatic and highly localised Pel’s Fishing Owl is unquestionably the most desirable and challenging of all to locate. As a result, they don’t have the usual concave facial disk which other owls use for detecting prey by sound. This night, I was awoken by the call. Unlike most owls, they hunt by sight rather than sound as their prey is underwater. The Pel’s fishing owl detects prey by any ripples that are created when fish come to the surface. But not to worry there are only around 470 of them so it should not take to long! Blyde/Olifants Pel's Fishing Owl project. Pel's fishing owl feeds almost exclusively on fish, catching them in a similar style to the African fish eagle, ... the bird’s feathers do not need to be smoothly finished to reduce sound in flight, as they are in owls who hunt rodents and birds, for example. Range mass: 2 to 2.3 kg. These Owls have very distinct feet which sets them apart from all other Owls. Size. August 15 2015, 4:01 AM. When calling the Pel’s fishing owl can be heard up to 3 km away. Fish owls of the genus Scotopelia live in the African rainforest and includes the Pel’s fishing-owl, the rufous fish owl, endemic to western African rainforest, and the vermiculated fish owl. of one bird. Pel's Fishing Owls are classed as endangered in South Africa. Range wingspan: About 150 cm. 743 likes. One of the most coveted of theses is the Pel's fishing owl and Given that its prey lives underwater the Pel’s fishing owl hunts by sight rather than sound, this means that they don’t have the concave facial disk that other owls use to hone in on the sound of their prey. Okavango Panhandle. The Pel’s fishing owl is ginger-brown in colour with black spots on both their wings and breast area. One of the interesting snippets we got after changing over one of the camera traps recently is the soft vocalisation (turn up the sound!) Once you have seen all of our 110 mammal species that we have in the Luangwa valley you can move on to the birds. Listen to it with headphones or good speakers, it's so low as to barely come through via laptop speakers. The Pel’s Fishing Owl, Scotopelia peli, is the second largest owl species in the Southern African sub-region.