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Pel's Fishing Owl
Visuil · Scotopelia peli
A huge, rusty-ginger owl that hunts fish in the dark along quiet rivers. It has no ear tufts and big dark eyes, and its legs and feet are bare so they don't get soggy. Perching over the water, it listens for ripples, then drops down to snatch fish straight off the surface with spiny-soled toes.
Log your Pel's Fishing Owl sighting — free →How to identify it
A very large ginger-orange owl with no ear tufts, big black eyes, and bare legs, found only along forested rivers.
Listen for its call
A deep, horn-like 'hooommm' that carries far along the river at night.
Where to see it in Kruger
Extremely scarce; roosts in big riverside trees along the far-northern Luvuvhu and Limpopo rivers around Pafuri.
Did you know
Its toes have tiny spikes underneath that grip slippery fish so they can't wriggle free.
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