Ptilopsis granti
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The Southern white-faced owl (Ptilopsis granti) is a fairly small owl in the family Strigidae. It is native to the southern half of Africa. It was formerly regarded as a subspecies of the northern white-faced owl (P. leucopsis) but the two are now commonly treated as separate species.
It is 22–28 cm (8.7–11.0 in) long and weighs 185–220 g (6.5–7.8 oz). The upperparts are grey with dark streaks and there are white spots on the scapular feathers. The underparts are whitish with dark streaks. The face is white with a black border and black around the large orange eyes. The head has two short ear-tufts with black tips. Juvenile birds have a greyish face. The northern white-faced owl is usually paler and browner with reduced streaking below.
Their call is a series of fast, bubbling hoots, uttered at night and frequently repeated. These fast, staccato notes followed by a longer and higher-pitched 'hoot' are extensively used during breeding season and pairs of owls often sing together. The Northern white-faced owl has a very different two-note call.
Southern white-faced owls occur patchily in the western regions central and southern Africa, including Gabon... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 3 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 4 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 5 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 6 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 7 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ZooParc de Beauval | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Philadelphia Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Giraffe House | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Sacramento Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Parc zoologique de Bordeaux Pessac | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Small Breeds Farm Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 7 | Montecasino Bird Gardens | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
No species of the same family or order lives in Maputo, so these are its closest relatives here: other birds.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern White-faced Owl sighting in Maputo on a given day, based on 37 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 61st most-seen of the 115 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Southern White-faced Owl in Maputo on a given day, against under 5% in January–April and August–November, the lowest months. That is one of Maputo's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 150 mm in January.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern White-faced Owl sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Yes
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Southern White-faced Owl sightings, Maputo has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Harare (Zimbabwe, under 5%) and Kampala (Uganda, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern White-faced Owl is recorded against all the birds logged in Maputo (37 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
