Bubo cinerascens
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The greyish eagle-owl or vermiculated eagle-owl (Bubo cinerascens) 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 (Bubo africanus).
This species is about 43 cm (17 in) long and weighs about 500 g (18 oz). Like the spotted eagle-owl, the greyish eagle-owl has mottled dark brown, buff, and white upperparts and finely barred (vermiculated) underparts giving a greyish-brown appearance. It differs from the spotted eagle-owl in having dark brown (not yellow) eyes and a brownish facial disk marked with a heavy brown circle around each eye. It also has morphological differences, such as being lighter though about the same length and having shorter tarsi.
As the greyish eagle-owl was considered the northern form of the spotted eagle-owl until recently their vocalisations have not been well studied. The call of the male recorded in West Africa consisted of two clear syllables and has been rendered as "koo-whoo" where the "koo" part is rather explosive and the "whoo" is somewhat downward inflected, lower pitched and extended. This call is made every few seconds and is... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | Kidepo Valley National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serrekunda | 🇬🇲 Gambia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Espace Rambouillet | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Kano Zoo | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | |
| 3 | Small Breeds Farm Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Audu Bako Zoo | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | |
| 5 | International Centre for Birds of Prey | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Le centre de soins des rapaces Espace Rambouillet | 🇫🇷 France |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Grayish Eagle-Owl sighting in Kidepo Valley National Park on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 256th most-seen of the 332 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, March and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Grayish Eagle-Owl in Kidepo Valley National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, June–August and October–December, the lowest months. Those are among Kidepo Valley National Park's driest months, with about 40 mm of rain a month against 130 mm in July. April and May have too few records to rate.
Between 5 and 8 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Grayish Eagle-Owl sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Grayish Eagle-Owl sightings, Kidepo Valley National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Murchison Falls National Park (Uganda, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Grayish Eagle-Owl is recorded against all the birds logged in Kidepo Valley National Park (13 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
