Vocalizations The Maghreb owl is quite active vocally, especially in
autumn,
winter and early
spring. Their songs are particularly heard on calm nights with males advertising their territory. Compared to the tawny owl, the Maghreb owl's song is notably deeper-pitched. A study of this owl in the wild revealed that nearly half its diet is comprised of mammals. The results from this examination of a Maghreb owl's diet in a Moroccan cave revealed that it preyed mostly on
bent-wing bats,
European rhinoceros beetles and
black rats, which made up the most significant
biomass of the diet. The next most significant prey, in biomass, were
Barbary partridges and
hares. The Maghreb owl diet is even more researched in human-influenced areas. In the Moroccan capital city of
Rabat, a pair of owls were found to have eaten a diet of mainly human-associated mammals, largely
rodents, and urban birds. In less humanly-disturbed areas of Algeria, (in
suburbs and
rural regions), the diet still has an important biomass of
synanthropic rodents. However, they comprise less of the total prey individuals hunted. Vertebrates were still reported to consist a large part of the diet, at over 85% in both suburbs and
country combined. In the gardens of the National Agronomical Institue of
El Harrach, a suburb of
Algiers, the diet was found to consist mainly of birds, followed by invertebrates, reptiles, mammals, and finally amphibians. Mammals and birds make up the majority of the biomass consumed here. In rural
Boukhalfa, Algeria, mammals are much more highly consumed than other prey. There is also a higher diversity of mammal species eaten, though rodents remain highly preyed on.
Reproduction Knowledge of Maghreb owl reproduction is still primitive, though they are thought to have similar reproduction to the tawny owl. The main variation would be how the differences in distribution impact reproduction, in particular nesting sites. These owls are monogamous and territorial. Young owls decide on an ideal territory and seek out a partner in autumn. Nesting sites are not constructed by the owl; they search for natural holes or crevices, nests of other birds, depressions or
burrows in the ground, or human-occupied undisturbed areas, such as attics or barns. Laying begins in the late winter or early spring, where pairs raise one clutch of typically three to five eggs per year. The female
incubates for a near month (28-29 days), while the male partner hunts for food. The young finally leave the nest after 29-35 days, and after around seven weeks they fly well enough to accompany their parents. After around three months the young owls become independent and will become sexually mature within a year. == Conservation and status ==