Today is a day for very contrasting owls here at OotY.
In our first match today, we have the only native owl of New Zealand: Ruru, or as it's known to the rest of the world, the Morepork.
Both names are onomatopoeia of its delightful call. The Morepork is a hawk owl or boobook owl, so it has the body contours of the related Australian and Tasmanian Strix owls. That gives it the smaller rounder head, though still with typically large owl eyes, giving it some great facial expressions.
It is only due to ongoing studies, that after 200 years, it has been recognized as its own unique species, whereas for the past 2 centuries, it was either thought to be a type of Australian or Tasmanian Boobook. Now it is almost universally acknowledged that New Zealand gets to claim this owl as its very own as of 2022.
Though they usually pounce from a perch to hunt, their hawk-like bodies allow them to fly with great agility and take insects from the air. They will also hunt small mammals, caterpillars, and spiders.
Having only been accepted as a unique owl in the last few years, Morepork is here to make a name for itself and prove it is as superb an owl as any other. Will this small, charming bird gain your acknowledgement today?
Spotted Eagle Owl may look a little more familiar than it may sound. While still a large owl, these are the smallest Eagle Owls, and even smaller than the Great Horned Owl, though it shares many characteristics of their larger relatives. If you like Eagle Owls or GHO, you may find this smaller version to your liking.
The Spotty is found all over sub-Saharan Africa and the Arabian peninsula. It is the most ubiquitous owl of southern Africa and is not afraid to live near people, leading it to be one of the most common owls we see here showing up at Owl Rescue Centre and the other South African rescues we see in the daily posts.
Being smaller, it will hunt insects and small birds or reptiles, but as it is still an Eagle Owl, mammals are still the top choice on the menu.
Like the Eurasian Eagle Owl, they prefer to live and raise their young on rocky outcroppings that give them a wide view of the surrounding and they like to hunt in open areas.
This tiny giant has a lot of great looking attributes. Yellow to orange eyes, a finely barred belly, large plumicorns, and of course that namesake spotted chest.
Does the smallest Eagle Owl still make the biggest impression on you? If so, vote for it now!
We will still get plenty of Spotteds from the South African rescues I follow to get my White Face pics. I need to find some more NZ rescues to get Ruru popping up more often. I thought I had a few on my feed, but I don't know the last time one came across my list on its own.