Spotted Wood Owl
Strix seloputo
The Spotted Wood Owl (Strix seloputo) is a rare owl found in 7 countries, weighing about 1.0 kg. The spotted wood owl is an owl of the earless owl genus, Strix.
About the Spotted Wood Owl
The spotted wood owl is an owl of the earless owl genus, Strix. Its range is disjunct; it occurs in many regions surrounding Borneo, but not on that island itself.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The spotted wood owl grows to a length of about 44 to 48 cm (17 to 19 in) with a wing length of 30 to 36 cm (12 to 14 in). The head is chocolate brown with an orangish-buff facial disc and, in the nominate subspecies, a yellowish throat band, but there are no ear-tufts. The upper parts are coffee-coloured, with white bars and spots edged with black. The underparts are dull yellow with broad white and narrow black bars. The eye is dark brown and the beak greenish-black. The legs and toes are well-feathered, with the visible parts being olive.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Indonesia.
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, October, November, December, with peak activity in March. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Spotted Wood Owl?
- The spotted wood owl grows to a length of about 44 to 48 cm (17 to 19 in) with a wing length of 30 to 36 cm (12 to 14 in). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Spotted Wood Owl?
- The Spotted Wood Owl is a large sized bird weighing about 1.0 kg.
- Where can you see a Spotted Wood Owl?
- The Spotted Wood Owl occurs in 7 countries, including Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.
- What birds look similar to a Spotted Wood Owl?
- The Spotted Wood Owl is most easily confused with the Rufous-legged Owl, the Rusty-barred Owl and the Fulvous Owl.
- Is the Spotted Wood Owl endangered?
- The Spotted Wood Owl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Spotted Wood Owl for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
Play BeakBrainEvery photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.