8 The South African Birds of Prey 



The little Pearl-spotted Owl {Glaucidium perlatum) 

 IS also easily recognizable, owing to the characteristic 

 spotting, this being white surrounded by a black ring. 

 It feeds on insects, termites, mice, and lizards. Fischer 

 gives its food as consisting principally of locusts, and 

 Blanford of lizards. The Barred Owl {G. capense) feeds 

 chiefly on insects (Ayres) ; Fischer quotes orthopterous 

 insects. 



Pels' Fishing Owl {Scotopelia peli). — This bird does 

 not affect us much one way or the other. According to 

 Sclater it feeds on fish, but Waller states it also devours 

 guinea-fovi^ls. 



Diurnal Birds of Prey. 



This is a large group of birds constituting the Order 

 Accipitres, and divided into four families : the Falconidce, 

 VulturidcE, PandionidcB, and SerpentaridcB. This group, 

 treated from the standpoint of their economic relations 

 to man, may be divided into three sections :— 



(1) Wholly useful birds. 



(2) Birds partly beneficial and partly harmful. 



(3) Harmful species. 



(1) Wholly useful Species. 



This is not a very numerous group in South Africa, 

 but includes the Kestrels {Cerchneis) . Birds belonging to 

 this group feed chiefly on mice, rats, and various insects. 



The Hobby (Falco subbuteo) is a migrant from Europe. 

 According to Marshall and Swynnerton, it feeds on 

 beetles, locusts, and butterflies ; according to Andersson, 

 on termites and locusts. 



The African Hobby {F. cuvieri) is very rare within the 

 geographical limits of South Africa, so it does not affect 

 us economically speaking. 



The South African Kestrel {Cerchneis rupicola) is 

 generally known to the Boers as the Steenvalk or Kooi- 



