Bird Album
Tawny Fish Owl
Ketupa flavipes (Hodgson, 1836)
≈74 cmLength2.3 kgWeight
Its often shaggy ear tufts droop at the sides of the head, while the crown and upperparts are mostly orange-red.
Busiest months: February, April and December · Most records: India, China, Bhutan
Looks like Brown Fish Owl
How to identify
Field marks
- Large ear tufts often droop at the sides of the head, looking untidy
- Eyes yellow
- Crown and upperparts mostly orange-red, with broad black feather centers
- Scapulars dull yellow, forming a single transverse band
Voice
The territorial call is a low “whoo-hoo”; it also gives cat-like “meow” calls.
Similar species
Where and when it's recorded
Tawny Fish Owl has been recorded at 47 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 7 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Corbett NP – DhikalaIndia190 records
- Corbett NPIndia144 records
- Tangjiahe NNRChina130 records
More places
- SattalIndia74 records
- Shonkhar Chu Valley, Limithang RoadBhutan13 records
- LingmethangBhutan12 records
- Nam Et - Phou Louey NPA – Nam Nern Night SafariLaos8 records
- DongjiatanChina8 records
- Lingmethang Forest Management UnitBhutan5 records
- Tangjiahe NNR – Hotel areaChina5 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The tawny fish owl (Ketupa flavipes) is a fish owl species in the family known as typical owls, Strigidae. It is native from southern Nepal to Bangladesh, Vietnam and China and Bhutan. Due to its wide geographical distribution, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Tawny Fish Owl?
The Tawny Fish Owl is about ≈74 cm long and weighs around 2.3 kg.
Where does the Tawny Fish Owl live?
Its breeding range: Oriental: Himalayas to Southeast Asia. It is most often recorded in India, China and Bhutan.
When is the best time to see the Tawny Fish Owl?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February, April and December (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Tawny Fish Owl endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Tawny Fish Owl as Least Concern.
What does the Tawny Fish Owl eat?
Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.
What family is the Tawny Fish Owl in?
It belongs to the family Owls (Strigidae), order Strigiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- ≈74 cm
- Weight
- 2.3 kg
- Habitat
- Rivers & streams
- Diet
- Fish, shrimp & shellfish
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 433 mm
- Tail
- 207 mm
- Bill
- 49 mm
- Tarsus
- 78 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Oriental: Himalayas to Southeast Asia
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
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
Blakiston's Fish OwlKetupa blakistoni
Brown Fish OwlKetupa zeylonensis
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 Jayanth Sharma. ↗
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