Fish Owl

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fish owl, also called fishing owl, any of several species of owls of the genera Ketupa and Scotopelia in the family Strigidae (order Strigiformes). The birds live near water, where they prey on fishes as well as small mammals and other birds. There are three Asian species (genus Ketupa) and three African species (genus Scotopelia), the latter of which are sometimes called fishing owls. Blakiston’s fish owl, also called Blakiston’s eagle owl (Bubo blakistoni), is a related species which is sometimes included with the fish owls. Present-day taxonomy is a matter of some debate: some classifications, citing the results of DNA studies, recommend that the members of both Ketupa and Scotopelia be subsumed within the genus Bubo.

Asian fish owls occur primarily in southern and southeastern parts of the continent. The brown fish owl (Ketupa zeylonensis), which has a body length of 48 to 58 cm (18.9 to 22.8 inches) and is known for its prominent golden yellow eyes, ranges from the eastern Mediterranean to India and Southeast Asia. The tawny fish owl (K. flavipes), which has yellow eyes and is nearly identical to the brown fish owl in length, lives in forest and wetland habitats across southern China, in parts of Southeast Asia, and along the southern approaches to the Himalayan mountains. The buffy fish owl (K. ketupu), 40 to 48 cm (15.7 to 18.9 inches) long, is somewhat smaller than the other Asian fish owls and is found from eastern India south to the Indonesian island of Java. Blakiston’s fish owl, which can reach up to 60 to 71 cm (23.6 to 27.9 inches) in length, inhabits lowland forests and wetlands from the northern shores of the Sea of Okhotsk southward to Manchuria and the Japanese island of Hokkaido.

All African fish owls occur south of the Sahara. Pel’s fishing owl (Scotopelia peli), whose range extends discontinuously from Senegal eastward to Ethiopia and southward to the east coast of South Africa, is the largest of the group, at about 50 to 60 cm (20 to 24 inches) long. It is brown above with barring and reddish yellow below with spots and V markings. It has a heavily feathered round head without ear tufts. The rufous fishing owl (S. ussheri) of western Africa and the vermiculated fishing owl (S. bouvieri) of equatorial Africa are slightly smaller, growing to 46 to 51 cm (18.1 to 20 inches) in length.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) classifies most fish owls as species of least concern. However, it considers the rufous fishing owl as a vulnerable species and Blakiston’s fish owl as an endangered species.