The story
Named in honor of Hendrik Severinus Pel, who was governor of the Dutch Gold Coast (now Ghana) from 1840 till 1850.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Pel's fishing owl
Today it means: Scotopelia peli, a large owl that feeds nocturnally on fish and frogs snatched from the surface of lakes and rivers. Full definition →