Buffy Fish Owl
Ketupa ketupu
The Buffy Fish Owl (Ketupa ketupu) is a rare owl found in 9 countries, weighing about 1.3 kg. The buffy fish owl, also known as the Malay fish owl, is a fish owl in the family Strigidae.
About the Buffy Fish Owl
The buffy fish owl, also known as the Malay fish owl, is a fish owl in the family Strigidae. It is native to Southeast Asia and lives foremost in tropical forests and wetlands. Due to its wide distribution and assumed stable population, it is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List since 2004.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The buffy fish owl is buff brown with darker tawny brown feathers on the back. Its face is paler and it has light brown eyebrows. With an adult size of 40 to 48 cm (16 to 19 in) and a weight of 1,028 to 2,100 g (36.3 to 74.1 oz), it is the smallest fish owl species. Like all fish owls, the buffy fish owl has prominent ear tufts on the sides of its head. Its wing feathers and tail are broadly barred yellowish and dark brown. The wings are distinctly rounded in shape. The underparts are a yellowish brown, rich buff, or fulvous with broad, blackish shaft stripes. Its long legs are not feathered.
Where it lives
When to see it
The Buffy Fish Owl can be seen all year round, with peak activity in March. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Buffy Fish Owl?
- The buffy fish owl is buff brown with darker tawny brown feathers on the back. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Buffy Fish Owl?
- The Buffy Fish Owl is a large sized bird weighing about 1.3 kg.
- Where can you see a Buffy Fish Owl?
- The Buffy Fish Owl occurs in 9 countries, including Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, India and Bangladesh.
- What birds look similar to a Buffy Fish Owl?
- The Buffy Fish Owl is most easily confused with the Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl, the Dusky Eagle-Owl and the Barred Eagle-Owl.
- Is the Buffy Fish Owl endangered?
- The Buffy Fish Owl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Buffy Fish Owl for real
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