Notes and records

A possible case of double brooding of pharaoh

eagle owls (Bubo ascalaphus Savigny, 1809) in
Egypt
Environmental Protection Agency, str. Podeni 10Targu Mures
540253, Romania and 2Constantin Romanu Vivu Str.,
Bl.11 D, ap. 8, Targu Mures, Romania

housing estate, with a mixture of allochthonous and local

species (Accacia radiana, Hyphaine thebaica, Tamarix nilotica,
Bougainvillea sp. bushes, etc), and there is an artificial
water hole with Phragmites australis beds not >30 m from
the nest site. There are several industrial and household
refuse dumps in the surrounding area. The monitored pair
is isolated and there were no more birds observed in the
area.

Introduction

Results

Multiple-brooding (raising more than one brood in quick

succession, usually in less than one calendar year) occurs
infrequently in owls and is generally restricted to either
smaller species with shorter nesting periods or species
capable of capitalizing on conditions of prolonged food
abundance whenever they occur (Mikkola, 1983). Eagle
owls (Bubo spp.) are the largest nocturnal predators, normally nesting only once a year (Cramp, 1985; but see
Martnez et al., 2003; Ortego, 2004). In the desert breeding
species, it is suspected that it breeds only once a year, with
egg-laying starting in early spring and nestlings being
recorded between February and June (Goodman, Meininger & Mullie, 1986; Goodman, 1990; Horner, 1992;
Moldovan & Sandor, 2009). This note presents the possible
first recorded case of multiple-brooding in this desert species in North-East Africa, based on the observation of
successive nestlings in the same territory in one nesting
season.

At the beginning of the breeding season (20 March 2008),

we found an eagle owl nestling of approximately 52
55 days (hatching date: January 2008), as backdated by
the measurement of primaries (Penteriani et al., 2004). On
following visits, the adults were observed until 20 April,
when they were seen some 500 m NE of the initial nest
site, together with the nestling.
The site was not visited again until 28 June, when one
more, small sized nestling was located in a different nest
scrape. Based on its measurements it was 30- to 33-days old
and apparently hatched in late May. A fully feathered
juvenile was present close by, presumably the earlier nestling of 2008. The distance between the observation points
of the two nestlings is ca. 300 m. The time lag between the
hatching dates of the two nestlings is at least 4 months,
thus we consider these two nesting events as different.

Attila D. Sandor1* and Istvan Moldovan2

1

Study site and methods

The breeding site of a desert eagle owl pair was located in
the outskirts of Hurghada, Egypt (2713 N, 3348 E). The
site was visited several times in the period JanuaryMarch
2008, and both adults were observed at the nest during
most visits. To reduce disturbance, the nest scrape was not
inspected visually until 20 March 2008. The habitat in the
area is hyperarid sandstone desert, typical of the Egyptian
Eastern Desert. The area is within the boundaries of a
*Correspondence: E-mail: adsandor@gmail.com

Discussion
Laying second and even third clutches has been reported
as usual in a wide variety of bird species, mainly passerines
(e.g., Friesen et al., 2000; Curtis et al., 2004), while it is less
common in other groups (e.g., Martnez et al., 2003).
According to the food supply hypothesis, females which
have better access to resources are able to start laying as
soon as they are physiologically capable (Perrins, 1970).
Pairs laying early are expected to be more able to have
second clutches than pairs that lay later, because females
are in a better physiological condition and they have time
enough for additional breeding attempts in the same
reproductive season (Marks & Perkins, 1999; Farnsworth

 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation  2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Afr. J. Ecol.

Attila D. Sandor and Istvan Moldovan

& Simons, 2001). By successive nesting attempts, the

individual may incur higher costs in terms of survival,
although such costs of reproduction usually depend on
environmental conditions, mostly on available resources
(Verhulst, 1998).
The habitat surrounding the nest where the double
brooding event was recorded is characterized by the presence of numerous refuse dumps favourable for the presence of commensal rodents (Norway rat, Rattus norvegicus;
house mouse, Mus musculus), which constitute the main
prey of the pharaoh eagle owls (Sandor & Moldovan,
in press). The presence of these rodents may provide the
necessary food resources all year round and together with
an early laying in 2008, constituted the favourable conditions for raising a second clutch in a single year. This
observation is the first ever record of double brooding for a
large-sized desert raptor and may only indicate a singular
event, but at the same time it is possible that is constitutes
the first sign of adaptation to the changing conditions of
the desert environment.

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(Manuscript accepted 9 November 2009)
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2028.2009.01199.x

 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation  2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Afr. J. Ecol.