Bird Album
Blakiston's Fish Owl
Ketupa blakistoni (Seebohm, 1884)
67–77 cmLength3.9 kgWeight
This large owl watches over forest rivers to catch fish.
How to identify
Field marks
- Underparts paler, pale yellowish-brown
- Upperparts yellowish-brown, densely marked with dark brown streaks
- Throat white
- Tarsus fully feathered
Male, female and young
Female larger than male.
Voice
A bird calling alone may sound like “hoo-hooo”; the juvenile's typical shriek is “phee-phee-phee”.
Where and when it's recorded
No records at the public birding hotspots we track. It may be rare, remote, or its locations protected.
Questions
How big is the Blakiston's Fish Owl?
The Blakiston's Fish Owl is about 67–77 cm long and weighs around 3.9 kg.
Where does the Blakiston's Fish Owl live?
Its breeding range: Palearctic: northeastern China and northern Japan.
What does the Blakiston's Fish Owl eat?
Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.
What family is the Blakiston's Fish Owl in?
It belongs to the family Owls (Strigidae), order Strigiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 67–77 cm
- Weight
- 3.9 kg
- Habitat
- Rivers & streams
- Diet
- Fish, shrimp & shellfish
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
More measurements
- Wing
- 508 mm
- Tail
- 261 mm
- Bill
- 52 mm
- Tarsus
- 83 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Palearctic: northeastern China and northern Japan
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Subspecies · 1
- Ketupa blakistoni doerriesi ne China and se Siberia
Classification
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Owls Strigidae
- Genus
- Ketupa
Other birds in the genus Ketupa
Fraser's Eagle-OwlKetupa poensis
Akun Eagle-OwlKetupa leucosticta
Verreaux's Eagle-OwlKetupa lactea
Shelley's Eagle-OwlKetupa shelleyi
Brown Fish OwlKetupa zeylonensis
Tawny Fish OwlKetupa flavipes
Buffy Fish OwlKetupa ketupu
Barred Eagle-OwlKetupa sumatrana
Spot-bellied Eagle-OwlKetupa nipalensis
Dusky Eagle-OwlKetupa coromanda
Philippine Eagle-OwlKetupa philippensis
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Andrew Spencer. ↗
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