Southern White-faced Owl (Ptilopsis granti)
About the Southern White-faced Owl
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.
No audio on this page yet
We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 28 recordings for this species: 8 CC BY-NC-SA · 1 CC BY-NC-ND. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
As soon as someone uploads a freely licensed recording, we mirror it and the player appears here.
Listed as recorded in Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Other birds you can hear here
- African CuckooCuculus gularisrecording
- African HoopoeUpupa africanarecording
- African Pied WagtailMotacilla aguimprecording
- African Reed WarblerAcrocephalus baeticatusrecording
- Black CrakeZapornia flavirostrarecording
- Black-backed PuffbackDryoscopus cublarecording
These are the birds recorded alongside it, not close relatives — the site holds no other member of its genus or family yet.