Dela is one of our more mature ladies at the Centre, and brought in as an adult has been with us for more than fourteen years. She is the epitome of a gentle owl, very calm and placid - all our visitors adore her.

Dela is flown in the barn and in the outdoor flying arena, and will fly to your fist to help raise funds for wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and habitat protection.

African spotted owls are found south of the Equator in Africa, in dry scrub savannah and woodland habitats. They are strictly nocturnal, resting by day in rocky areas and outcrops. They catch their prey with a post and long, low, glide approach, but also enjoy chasing insects by running on the ground, often spending hours at a time doing so, or hawking them in the air under streetlights.

These owls are very gentle birds, rarely showing aggression, even at the nest site, but puff out their feathers and wings into a huge ball, and scare predators away with their loud hissing call, and beak clicking.

They nest in the wild in a ground scrape usually, in a cave or at the foot of a tree. They will lay 3-5 eggs, which hatch successively after 32 days. The young owls are fledged by 7 weeks, but remain with their parents until 3 months of age, then leave to fend for themselves on the African plains.