Pel's Fishing Owl (Scotopelia peli)
About the Pel's Fishing Owl
Pel's fishing owl (Scotopelia peli) is a large species of owl in the family Strigidae, found in Africa. It lives near rivers and lakes, and feeds nocturnally on fish and frogs snatched from the surface of lakes and rivers. The species prefers slow-moving rivers with large, overhanging trees to roost in and forage from. It nests in hollows and the forks of large trees. Even though two eggs are laid, often only one chick is raised. The species' common and specific name honours Hendrik Severinus Pel, who was governor of the Dutch Gold Coast (now Ghana) from 1840 till 1850.
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We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 29 recordings for this species: 3 CC BY-NC-ND · 2 CC BY-NC-SA. 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 Botswana, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Other birds you can hear here
- African CuckooCuculus gularisrecording
- African Pied WagtailMotacilla aguimprecording
- BrubruNilaus aferrecording
- Common GreenshankTringa nebulariarecording
- Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiacarecording
- Green Wood HoopoePhoeniculus purpureusrecording
These are the birds recorded alongside it, not close relatives — the site holds no other member of its genus or family yet.