(African) Spotted Eagle Owl Bubo africanus

Variously called the African Spotted Eagle Owl (Eagle-owl), African Spotted Owl, African Eagle Owl and the Spotted Eagle Owl, the owl looks very like the Great Horned Owl of America with less rich rufous colouring and slightly smaller; a big bird, it is one of the smallest Eagle Owls at some 18 inches high.

It has a wingspan of over a metre and is native to much of the southern half of Africa. The irises are yellow.