Typical Owls (Strigidae)

Marsh Owl (Asio capensis) - HBW 5, p. 242

French: Hibou du Cap German: Kapohreule Spanish: Búho Moro
Other common names: African Marsh Owl

Taxonomy: Otus Capensis A. Smith, 1834, Waaiplaats, Martindale, Cape Province.
Sometimes thought to be closely related to A. flammeus, the two replacing each other ecologically; any resemblance, however, rather superficial and probably due to convergence, and voices also very different. Three subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

tingitanus (Loche, 1867) - NW Morocco.
capensis (A. Smith, 1834) - isolated areas in W Africa, from Senegal to Chad and Cameroon; also from S Sudan and Ethiopian Highlands, and from S Congo, S to the Cape.
hova Stresemann, 1922 - Madagascar.