Barred Eagle-Owl
Ketupa sumatrana
The Barred Eagle-Owl (Ketupa sumatrana) is a rare owl found in 5 countries. The barred eagle-owl, also called the Malay eagle-owl, is a species of eagle owl in the family Strigidae.
About the Barred Eagle-Owl
The barred eagle-owl, also called the Malay eagle-owl, is a species of eagle owl in the family Strigidae. It is a member of the large genus Ketupa, which is found on most of the world's continents. This relatively little-known species is found from the southern Malay Peninsula down a string of several of the larger southeast Asian islands to as far as Borneo. It forms a superspecies with the physically similar but larger spot-bellied eagle-owl, although the two species appear to be allopatric in distribution.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The barred eagle-owl is a fairly large owl but relatively small eagle-owl, ranging from 40 to 48 cm (16 to 19 in) in length. There is almost no size sexual dimorphism in this species (although some females are marginally larger than the males) and adjacent island subspecies vary dramatically in size, both unusual attributes for eagle-owls. It is most distinctive due to its barred underparts, large but sideways-slanting ear tufts, a white bar running from the eyebrows through the front of the ear-tufts and much more heavily marked breast than belly. Voice: The barred fish-owl territorial song or call is a deep hoot, hoo or hoo-hoo also sometimes transliterated as whooa-who, whooa-who. The hoots slightly drop in pitch towards the end. If it is a double-hoot, there is an interval of about two seconds between the hoots.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Brunei.
When to see it
Best months: February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in July. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Barred Eagle-Owl?
- The barred eagle-owl is a fairly large owl but relatively small eagle-owl, ranging from 40 to 48 cm (16 to 19 in) in length. Full identification notes are on this page.
- Where can you see a Barred Eagle-Owl?
- The Barred Eagle-Owl occurs in 5 countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand.
- What birds look similar to a Barred Eagle-Owl?
- The Barred Eagle-Owl is most easily confused with the Tawny Fish Owl, the Dusky Eagle-Owl and the Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl.
- Is the Barred Eagle-Owl endangered?
- The Barred Eagle-Owl is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Barred Eagle-Owl for real
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