fish owl

Fishing owls are a group of birds in the Strigidae family.

The four fish owls were previously generally separated in the genus Ketupa.

Blakiston's is noticeably larger than the other three extant species of fish owl.

Upon identifying prey, fish owls either drop directly into the shallow water or sail a short distance.

It has been blamed for the extinction of the Brown Fish Owl.

Forget the Pel's fishing owl (which, should you need a wilderness fact, can lift its own weight in fish).

Blakiston's Fish Owl is the largest living species of owl.

Blakiston's fish owls can form pair bonds as early as their second year, and reach sexual maturity by age three.

It's also known for its birding, including sightings of fish eagles and the rare Pel's fishing owl.

Pel's Fishing Owl is one of the largest owl species in the world.

A fishing owl darted down on the pool on silent wings like a gigantic moth.

The Pel's Fishing Owl is found in forests along rivers and lakes.

Some consider them a specialized paleosubspecies of the Brown Fish Owl:

The Blakiston's Fish Owl feeds on a variety of aquatic prey.

In Japan, death by hunting is unlikely, but fish owls have been hit by cars and killed by powerlines.

Tawny fish owl activity pattern.

Habitat selection by tawny fish owl (Ketupa flavipes) in Taiwan.

As mentioned above, the prehistoric B. insularis is sometimes included in the Brown Fish Owl.

Brown Fish Owls breed from November to March.

If hungry, Brown Fish Owls will scavenge carrion.

Strange and rare fishing owls, seeming more like apes than like birds, nested in the tall African ebony trees.

The two related fishing owls are smaller and lack the dark barring and scaling (though they do have dark streaks below).

This was later described by Henry Seebohm and named Blakiston's Fish Owl.

Blakiston's Fish Owl occurs in dense old-growth forest near waterways or wooded coastlines.

The rare Pel's Fishing Owl frequents banks above large pools in rivers, best seen at night.