• 

  Profile

• 

  In flight

Owls

Buffy Fish Owl

Ketupa ketupu

• rare
• 35 km/h
• Least Concern

The smallest fish owl, no feathered toes, just confidence. Haunts SE Asian lowland rivers after dark.

Population

Not quantified by IUCN/BirdLife; species described as widespread, generally faring well, with an assumed/described stable global population trend

Habitat

Tropical lowland forest and freshwater wetlands near rivers, lakes, mangroves, and aquaculture/fish ponds; also found in plantations and rural/urban gardens up to ~1,600 m elevation

Fun fact

Unlike most owls, the Buffy Fish Owl lacks the comb-like and hair-fringed leading-edge primaries that give owls silent flight (its wingbeats are audible) — since it hunts fish and crustaceans by swooping onto water rather than pouncing on ground prey, it needs to stay dry and rely on vision, not stay silent.

Range

South and Southeast Asia — from southern Assam/northeastern India, West Bengal, and Bangladesh through Myanmar, Thailand, Indochina (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam), and the Malay Peninsula (incl. Singapore) to Sumatra, Java, Bali, Borneo, and neighboring Sunda islands

Diet

Mainly fish, crabs, and frogs, supplemented with small reptiles, birds, insects, and carrion; documented prey includes goldfish, snakes, small gharials, jungle fowl, rats, and fruit bats

Size

0.44 m

Wingspan

1 m

Lifespan

30 years