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Eagle owl is found in UAE for the first time

DUBAI — Dubai Zoo is hosting a rare specimen of the Arabian-spotted Eagle Owl, believed to be the first such owl found in the UAE and Northern Oman, Dr Mohammed Ali Reza Khan, Head of Zoo Section at Dubai Municipality’s Public Parks and Horticulture Department, told Khaleej Times yesterday.

According to Dr Khan, the species is an Arabian version of the well-known African Spotted Eagle Owl.

“The owl was gifted to Dubai Zoo two years ago by a donor from Dibba. He said he caught it from Dibba mountains. As it was a baby owl, we did not pay much attention to it. But its overall look appeared different from that of the other babies of Desert Eagle-Owl we received from members of the public and have raised them in the zoo,” he explained.

Dr Khan added: “The picture of the owl was sent to an authority in the UAE for its identification. We were informed that it is the common Eagle-Owl that we see regularly in the UAE. It was, however, after two years of attending to the owl that we realised that it is different from the Desert Eagle Owl.”

He noted that this is the first time the spotted Eagle Owl is reported in the northern parts of the Arabian peninsula, especially in the UAE, whereas in the eastern Arabia sub-species of this owl are found.

He said that the species spotted eagle-owl (bubo africanus), with its nominative race bubo africanus africanus that is called African Spotted Eagle-Owl, lives in Africa. Its another subspecies bubo africanus milesi is known to occur in parts of Saudi Arabia, Yemen and southern Oman, Because this subspecies is restricted to the Arabian Peninsula, they are called the “Arabian Spotted Eagle-Owl”, he added.

As per the existing literature ornithologist, Sharpe named this subspecies in 1886 as bubo africanus milesi. Its distribution has been given in the literature as the “South West Arabia, Yemen and Oman”. But it has never been reported from northern Oman.

The species lives in the Savannah regions of the Sub-Saharan Africa and in certain areas of Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman. Spotted Eagle-Owl lives in desert to mostly wooded and rocky areas. It is known to feed mainly on insects. But it also eats crabs, snails, frogs reptiles, birds, bats and small mammals. In the zoo rats and mice are preferred over chicken or beef cubes topped with bone supplements and vitamins.

In Africa it lays two to four eggs-nests under overhanging rocks, on cliffs or buildings. It has been said that this owl comes under threat from the wide use of pesticides in Africa.

Need for natural history museum

DUBAI — Dr Reza Khan has emphasised the need to have a Natural History Museum in the UAE where specimens of all the species of animals from tiny Damsel Fly to Blue Whale found in the UAE could be preserved for scientific research.