by Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl is Africa’s largest owl species: a formidable predator with striking pink eyelids.
Long known to Indigenous African communities, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl only became known in the west in the 19th century. This was a time of colonial domination, where European powers took control over much of the continent.
Large numbers of troops and government officials were deployed to enforce colonial rule. They were followed by civilians: settlers and entrepreneurs looking to make their fortune, scientists and explorers keen to discover these largely unknown territories.
Among these was Jules Verreaux.
Jules Verreaux was a French naturalist and ornithologist who became known for his collecting expeditions. Born in Paris in 1807, he was introduced to natural science at a young age through his father, Jacques Verreaux, who ran a taxidermy and natural history supply business.
Many of Verreaux’s relatives also worked in this field.
Verreaux was only 11 when he accompanied his uncle on an expedition to South Africa, sparking a lifelong interest in exploration and specimen collection. As a young man, he returned to southern Africa in the 1820s and 30s, gathering thousands of botanical and ethnographic specimens for European museums and collectors.
Among the many new species he described: a giant owl, that would later bear his name.
Verreaux first encountered the Eagle-Owl on expedition in South Africa in the 1820s. One of the largest owl species in the world, its appearance is striking.
Adults typically measure between 66–75 cm in length, with a wingspan stretching over 1.5 metres. They weigh between 2 and 3 kilograms, with females being significantly larger than males—a common trait in birds of prey.
The owl’s plumage is mostly grey and white, with darker colouring around the neck. It has prominant, fluffy ears, and distinctive eyelids: these are bright pink, a unique trait among all owl species.
Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl can be found in a wide range across sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal and Sudan in the north to South Africa in the south.
It is normally found in savannas and woodlands but is highly adaptable and lives in both rural and suburban areas. They usually roost in large trees, sleeping during the day, well-camouflaged by its dappled plumage.
The trees are essential to such a large species, as they also provide nesting sites and vantage points for hunting.
The Eagle-Owl is a powerful predator. It hunts at night, using its excellent vision and near silent flight to ambush prey.
Its hearing is remarkably acute.
‘The owl’s left ear is higher than their right ear, allowing them to use volume differences to fix vertical location, and time differences to fix horizontal location. They can hear sounds more than ten times quieter than the best human hearing.’
– ‘101 Curious Tales of East African Birds’, Coline Beale
Its diet is diverse, ranging from insects and rodents, to birds and reptiles. It will even target small monkeys and other owls, making them the apex nocturnal predator in many areas.
Breeding typically takes place during the dry season.
A typical clutch consists of one or two eggs, although usually only one chick survives, as the older sibling often outcompetes or kills the other. A behaviour known as siblicide, common among raptors.
The chicks have light grey or white colouring, and fledge at around nine weeks. But they remain dependent on their parents for several more months; the family bond is strong, and juveniles may stay in the parents’ territory for up to a year.
As adults, outside of breeding the animals are solitary.
A single owl may have a hunting range of up to 2,000 hectares (20 square kilometres) and will fiercely defend their territory from other owls. Largely silent, they have a distinctive, deep throated ‘Hooo Hooo!’ call, used to warn outsiders away.
Eagle-Owls are long-lived for birds, with lifespans up to 30 years.
After their description by Verreaux, the species was formally named Bubo lacteus; ‘lacteus’ meaning ‘milky’ in Latin, was likely a reference to the owl’s plumage. The genus Bubo includes other large owls, including the Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo), the snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus), and the world’s largest species, Blakiston’s Fish Owl (Bubo blakistoni).
Jules Verreaux’s travels took him to other places around the world, with notable expeditions to China and Australia, among others. He settled more permanently in Paris in 1851, with a personal natural history collection of more than 15,000 items.
From 1864, he worked as an assistant at the Paris Museum, where he donated most of his collection. After his death in 1873, a number of species he helped discover were named after him; alongside Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl were several other African bird species, two types of lizard, and a giant eel found in the Indian Ocean.
Some controversy would later attach to him, for removing species and cultural artefacts from their original environment.
In October 2024, I went on holiday to Tanzania. This had long been a dream; as far back as I can remember, I had wanted to see the big National Parks and famous animals.
The highlight of the trip was a few days in the Serengeti. I stayed in a bushcamp right in the park, and splurged on a private driver, Andrew, who drove me around each day.
My expectations were high, but this experience far exceeded them: lions, leopards, cheetahs, many of them with cubs, alongside scores of elephants, zebras, wildebeest, and the multicoloured plains, sweeping to the horizon.
Andrew quickly clocked that I was a bird fan, he pointed out many amazing species. Africa is well known for its birds, my ornithological side felt well seen.
One morning, driving out from camp, Andrew stopped our 4WD and suddenly pointed into the bush.
‘Look’, he said.
It took me a moment to spot it.
We were driving through a forested area, the trees were reasonably close together. But then, as I followed, Andrews’ finger, I saw: in a tree about 20 metres away, halfway up, a giant, sepulchral figure.
At first glance it looked like a small man, wrapped in a cloak.
But as I zoomed in on my camera, I could see it was an improbably large owl. It roosted on a branch, a few metres above ground, its wings tight around its body; an upright, cocoon-like, feathery shape.
The owl had a round head and dark eyes. It looked otherworldly, inscrutable.
As I watched, it blinked slowly. Its eyelids were enormous, and pink: a light shade, bright in the dark forest.
‘What is that?’ I said to Andrew.
‘Eagle-Owl,’ he said. ‘Verreaux.’
We watched it for some time. It sat on its branch completely still.
After a while, Andrew told us we should move on.
‘They can see us,’ he said, ‘they don’t like being watched.’
