Spotted eagle owl (Bubo africanus) fledgeling stretching its wings whilst perched in a tree. This is the smallest of the eagle owls (the largest type of owls), reaching nearly half a metre in length. It is a nocturnal predator that hunts mainly insects, as well as small birds and rodents, crabs, snails and bats. It inhabits woodlands and rocky areas in Africa and parts of Arabia. Photographed in the Kirstenbosch botanical gardens, Cape Town, South Africa.