Buffy fish owl

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Buffy fish owl
Ketupa ketupu.jpg
CITES Appendix II (CITES)
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae
Genus: Ketupa
Species:
K. ketupu
Binomial name
Ketupa ketupu
(Horsfield, 1821)

The buffy fish owl (Ketupa ketupu), also known as the Malay fish owl, is a fish owl in the family Strigidae. It is native to Southeast Asia and lives foremost in tropical forests and wetlands. Due to its wide distribution and assumed stable population, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2004. [1]

Contents

Taxonomy

Strix ketupu was the scientific name proposed by Thomas Horsfield in 1821 for a buffy fish owl collected in Java. [2] Ketupa was proposed as generic name by René-Primevère Lesson in 1831 for fish owl species from Java and India. [3] In the 19th and 20th centuries, several zoological specimens of buffy fish owls were described:

All four are recognised today as Ketupa ketupu subspecies: [6]

It has been suggested to merge the genus Ketupa into the genus Bubo based on their close relation in mitochondrial DNA and similarities in general appearance. [7] Results of a phylogenetic analysis of nine horned owl species indicate that Ketupa species form a monophyletic group. [8]

Description

Male buffy fish-owl Buffy Fish-Owl.jpg
Male buffy fish-owl

The buffy fish owl is buff brown with darker tawny brown feathers on the back. Its face is paler and it has light brown eyebrows. With an adult size of 40 to 48 cm (16 to 19 in) and a weight of 1,028 to 2,100 g (2.3 to 4.6 lb), it is the smallest fish owl species. [6]

Like all fish owls, the buffy fish owl has prominent ear tufts on the sides of the head. Its wing feathers and tail are broadly barred yellowish and dark brown. The wings are distinctly rounded in shape. The underparts are a yellowish brown, rich buff or fulvous with broad blackish shaft stripes. Its long legs are not feathered. [9]

The fish owls have large, powerful, and curved talons and a longitudinal sharp keel underneath the middle claw with all having sharp cutting edges that are very much like those of eagle owls. Unlike fish-eating diurnal raptors, they do not submerge any part of their body while hunting, preferring only to put their feet into the water, although fish owls wade into the shallows. The feathers of fish owls are not soft to the touch and lack the comb and hair-like fringes to the primaries, which allow other owls to fly silently in order to ambush their prey. Due to the lack of these feather-specializations, fish owl wing beats make sounds. The lack of a deep facial disc in fish owls is another indication of the unimportance of sound relative to vision in these owls, as facial disc depth (as well as inner ear size) are directly related to how important sound is to an owl's hunting behavior. Also different from most any other kind of owl, the bill is placed on the face between the eyes rather than below it, which is said to impart this fish owl with a "remarkably morose and sinister expression". Similar adaptations, such as unwillingness to submerge beyond their legs and lack of sound-muffling feathers are also seen in the African fishing owls, which do not seem to be directly related. Due to their neat replacement of each other in range, at one time the tawny and buffy fish owls were considered the same species but there are a number of physical, anatomical, habitat, and behavioral distinctions between them. [9]

Distribution and habitat

The buffy fish owl is distributed from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore to Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and the Sunda Islands. On Cocos (Keeling) Island, it is non-breeding. It inhabits tropical forests and freshwater wetlands near rivers, lakes and aquaculture sites up to an elevation of 1,600 m (5,200 ft). It also lives in plantations, and rural and urban gardens. [1]

Behaviour and ecology

A range of vocalizations has been attributed to the buffy fish owl. Among those recorded are included hissing sounds and a rattling kutook, repeated rapidly about seven times. Also recorded has been a ringing, loud pof-pof-pof and a high, hawk-like hie-e-e-e-e-keek series of notes. The buffy fish owl is rather noisy before breeding, and pairs may engage in bouts of duetting for several minutes at a time. During the daytime, it shelters often singly in densely foliaged trees. [9]

Diet

The buffy fish owl feeds foremost on fish, crabs, frogs, small reptiles and birds. It also forages on carrion. [6] Stomach content found in Javan buffy fish owls included insects, winged ants and winged termites, goldfish (Carassius auratus), gold-ringed cat snake (Boiga dendrophila), immature false gharials (Tomistoma schlegelii), red junglefowl (Gallus gallus), black rat (Rattus rattus), and fruit bats. [10]

It has been recorded consuming remains of a crocodile and a Sunda stink badger (Mydaus javanensis). The buffy fish owl does not produce firm pellets as do most owls. Instead, bones, and frog and insect remains are ejected in pieces and fall to the ground below the roost. Prey remains have only been found within the nest, never around or below the nest as is commonly recorded in other owls. The buffy fish owl hunts mainly from the bank, swooping down much in the manner of a fish eagle but never getting its feathers wet. It also walks into shallow streams and brooks, additionally snatching food in such locations. [9]

Reproduction

Eggs of buffy fish owls have mainly been found in February through April in western Java, less commonly into May, and in the Malay Peninsula also in September through January. The buffy fish owl frequently nests on top of a large fern ( Asplenium nidus ), but nests have also been recorded in the fork of a tall bough covered in ferns and moss, on orchid beds and in tree holes. More rarely, rocky sites have been used as nesting sites, even behind waterfalls. The nest is usually merely a scrape into the surface of a fern with no structure or lining, as owls do not build nests. Abandoned bird nests built by other species have been used, including those of brahminy kite (Haliastur indus). Only one egg per breeding season has ever been recorded in a buffy fish owl nest, giving them the smallest clutch size of any owl alongside the spot-bellied eagle owl (B. nipalensis) and the barred eagle owl (B. sumatranus), which also have only ever been recorded with a single-egg clutch. The egg is round, oval and dull white. The average dimensions of eggs in western Java was 57.4 mm × 47 mm (2.26 in × 1.85 in). Incubation of the eggs lasts 28 to 29 days and fledging occurs after six weeks. This species is generally faring well for a large raptorial bird and has been inadvertently aided by commercial fisheries and ornamental ponds, which they visit by night to hunt. Sometimes, they incur persecution from owners of such ponds for taking stock. [9] [11]

Threats

During a seizure in 2008 in a storage facility in Johor, 14 frozen buffy fish owls were discovered that were supposed to be illegally exported to China. [12] In Jakarta, buffy fish owls were offered for sale in three bird markets in 2010 and 2012. [13] In 2015, 323 buffy fish owls were offered for sale through online raptor trading groups. [14] Buffy fish owls were also traded at wildlife markets in Bandung, Garut, Surabaya, and Denpasar. [15]

Conservation

In Malaysia, owl species are protected by the Protection of Wild Life Act 1972 and listed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species on Appendix II. Violation of this act is a punishable offense and is penalized with a fine of 3,000 Malaysian ringgit or two years in jail or both. [12]

Iconography

Cambodian Special Forces Command Counter-terrorist Group 14 used buffy fish owl as their insignia.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

Owl Birds from the order Strigiforme

Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes, which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers adapted for silent flight. Exceptions include the diurnal northern hawk-owl and the gregarious burrowing owl.

Horned owl Genus of birds (Bubo)

The American horned owls and the Old World eagle-owls make up the genus Bubo, at least as traditionally described. The genus name Bubo is Latin for the Eurasian eagle-owl.

Eurasian eagle-owl Species of owl

The Eurasian eagle-owl is a species of eagle-owl that resides in much of Eurasia. It is also called the Uhu and it is occasionally abbreviated to just the eagle-owl in Europe. It is one of the largest species of owl, and females can grow to a total length of 75 cm (30 in), with a wingspan of 188 cm, with males being slightly smaller. This bird has distinctive ear tufts, with upper parts that are mottled with darker blackish colouring and tawny. The wings and tail are barred. The underparts are a variably hued buff, streaked with darker colouring. The facial disc is not very visible and the orange eyes are distinctive.

Snowy owl Species of owl

The snowy owl, also known as the polar owl, the white owl and the Arctic owl, is a large, white owl of the true owl family. Snowy owls are native to the Arctic regions of both North America and the Palearctic, breeding mostly on the tundra. It has a number of unique adaptations to its habitat and lifestyle, which are quite distinct from other extant owls. One of the largest species of owl, it is the only owl with largely white plumage. Males tend to be a purer white overall while females tend to more have more extensive flecks of dark brown. Juvenile male snowy owls have dark markings that may appear similar to females until maturity, at which point they typically turn whiter. The composition of brown markings about the wing, although not foolproof, is the most reliable technique to age and sex individual snowy owls.

Rough-legged buzzard Species of bird

The rough-legged buzzard or rough-legged hawk is a medium-large bird of prey. It is found in Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America, Europe, and Russia during the breeding season and migrates south for the winter. It was traditionally also known as the rough-legged falcon in such works as John James Audubon's The Birds of America.

Great horned owl Species of owl

The great horned owl, also known as the tiger owl, or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extremely adaptable bird with a vast range and is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas. Its primary diet is rabbits and hares, rats and mice, and voles, although it freely hunts any animal it can overtake, including rodents and other small mammals, larger mid-sized mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates. In ornithological study, the great horned owl is often compared to the Eurasian eagle-owl, a closely related species, which despite the latter's notably larger size, occupies the same ecological niche in Eurasia, and the red-tailed hawk, with which it often shares similar habitat, prey, and nesting habits by day, thus is something of a diurnal ecological equivalent. The great horned owl is one of the earliest nesting birds in North America, often laying eggs weeks or even months before other raptorial birds.

Eastern screech owl Species of owl

The eastern screech owl or eastern screech-owl, is a small owl that is relatively common in Eastern North America, from Mexico to Canada. This species is native to most wooded environments of its distribution, and more so than any other owl in its range, has adapted well to manmade development, although it frequently avoids detection due to its strictly nocturnal habits.

Brown fish owl Species of owl

The brown fish owl is a fish owl species in the family known as typical owls, Strigidae. It is native from Turkey to South and Southeast Asia. Due its wide distribution it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It inhabits forests and wooded wetlands. Of the four living species of fish owl, it is the most widely distributed, most common and best-studied. It occupies a range of over 7,000 km (4,300 mi).

Blakistons fish owl Species of owl

Blakiston's fish owl, the largest living species of owl, is a fish owl, a sub-group of eagle owls which specialize in hunting in riparian areas. It is native to China, Japan, and north-eastern Asia. This species is a part of the family known as typical owls (Strigidae) which contains most species of owl. Blakiston's fish owl and three related species were previously placed in the genus Ketupa; however mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data is equivocal on which of the two genus names is more appropriately applied for this species. Its habitat is riparian forest, with large, old trees for nest-sites, near lakes, rivers, springs and shoals that do not freeze in winter. Henry Seebohm named this bird after the English naturalist Thomas Blakiston, who collected the original specimen in Hakodate on Hokkaidō, Japan, in 1883.

Spot-bellied eagle-owl Species of owl

The spot-bellied eagle-owl, also known as the forest eagle-owl is a large bird of prey with a formidable appearance. It is a forest-inhabiting species found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. This species is considered part of a superspecies with the barred eagle-owl, which looks quite similar but is allopatric in distribution, replacing the larger spot-bellied species in the southern end of the Malay Peninsula and the larger island in Southeast Asia extending down to Borneo.

Philippine eagle-owl Species of owl

The Philippine eagle-owl is a vulnerable species of owl belonging to the family Strigidae. It is endemic to the Philippines, where it is found in lowland forests on the islands of Catanduanes, Samar, Bohol, Mindanao, Luzon, Leyte and possibly Sibuyan. The Philippine eagle-owl feeds on rodents and amphibians. Due to their reliance on living in large lowland forests, forest conservation is important in order to maintain populations of the Philippine eagle-owl, which is becoming increasingly vulnerable to going extinct. The Philippine eagle-owl was previously listed as endangered, but due to destruction of lowland habitat and possible hunting, the eagle-owl has since been adjusted to the vulnerability of extinction.

Verreauxs eagle-owl Species of owl

Verreaux's eagle-owl, also commonly known as the milky eagle owl or giant eagle owl, is a member of the family Strigidae. This species is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa. A member of the genus Bubo, it is the largest African owl, measuring up to 66 cm (26 in) in total length. This eagle-owl is a resident primarily of dry, wooded savanna. Verreaux's eagle-owl is mainly grey in color and is distinguishable from other large owls by its bright pink eyelids, a feature shared with no other owl species in the world.

Jackal buzzard Species of bird

The jackal buzzard is a fairly large African bird of prey. The taxonomy of this species has caused some confusion in the past and it almost certainly belongs in a species complex with other African Buteo species. Some taxonomists have considered this species, the Archer's buzzard, and the augur buzzard to be the same superspecies. Many taxonomists consider them all to be distinct, having different calls, different home ranges and variations in plumage. This is a species that lives among mountains, and on adjacent savanna and grassland. It is resident and non-migratory throughout its range.

Rufous-legged owl Species of owl

The rufous-legged owl is a medium-sized owl. It is found in Argentina and Chile.

Upland buzzard Species of bird

The upland buzzard is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. The largest species of the Buteo genus, this buzzard lives in mountainous grassy and rocky areas in areas of Central Asia, northern South Asia and East Asia from Kazakhstan to Korea. The upland buzzard is migratory but typically covers a short distance apparently to avoid snow cover that may hamper prey capture. This species primarily subsists on small mammals but does not shun alternate prey from small to large birds and insects. This little known raptor has a large range, and though generally uncommon, it is not thought to be rare or declining as a species. As a result it is classified as least concern by the IUCN.

Frasers eagle-owl Species of owl

Fraser's eagle-owl is a species of African owl in the family Strigidae. It is named after the British zoologist Louis Fraser.

Barred eagle-owl Species of owl

The barred eagle-owl, also called the Malay eagle-owl, is a species of eagle owl in the family Strigidae. It is a member of the large genus Bubo which is distributed on most of the world's continents. This relatively little-known species is found from the southern Malay Peninsula down a string of several of the larger southeast Asian islands to as far as Borneo. It forms a superspecies with the physically similar but larger spot-bellied eagle-owl, although the two species appear to be allopatric in distribution.

Tawny fish owl Species of owl

The tawny fish owl is a fish owl species in the family known as typical owls, Strigidae. It is native from southern Nepal to Bangladesh, Vietnam and China. Due to its wide geographical distribution, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Fish owl Genus of birds

Fish owls form a group of owls in the family Strigidae. Ketupa was proposed as generic name by René-Primevère Lesson in 1831 for fish owl species from Java and India. Results of a phylogenetic analysis of nine horned owl species indicate that Ketupa species form a monophyletic group. Ketupa is therefore thought to merit subgeneric rank comprising the following species:

Pels fishing owl Species of owl

Pel's fishing owl is a large species of owl in the family Strigidae. The species is found in Africa and lives near rivers and lakes. It feeds nocturnally on fish and frogs snatched from the surface of lakes and rivers. The species prefers slow moving rivers with large overhanging trees to roost and forage from. It nests in hollows and the forks of large trees. Though as many as two eggs are laid, often only one chick is raised.

References

  1. 1 2 3 BirdLife International (2016). "Ketupa ketupu". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22689024A93214791. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22689024A93214791.en . Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Horsfield, T. (1821). "Systematic Arrangement and Description of Birds from the Island of Java". Transactions of the Linnean Society. 13 (1): 133–200. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.1821.tb00061.x.
  3. ↑ Lesson, R.-P. (1831). "Sous-genre. Ketupu; Ketupa". Traité d'ornithologie, ou, Tableau méthodique des ordres, sous-ordres, familles, tribus, genres, sous-genres et races d'oiseaux : ouvrage entièrement neuf, formant le catalogue le plus complet des espèces réunies dans les collections publiques de la France. Vol. 1. Paris: F. G. Levrault. p. 114.
  4. ↑ Büttikofer, J. (1896). "On a collection of birds from Nias". Notes from the Leyden Museum. 18: 161–198.
  5. 1 2 Neumann, O. (1935). "Descriptions of four new or hitherto unnamed geographical races from the Indo-Malayan region". Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. 55 (386): 136–139.
  6. 1 2 3 del Hoyo, J.; Collar, N. J.; Christie, D. A.; Elliott, A.; Fishpool, L. D. C. (2014). "Buffy Fish-owl (Ketupa ketupu)". In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D. A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Vol. 1: Non-passerines. Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International.
  7. ↑ Wink, M.; El-Sayed, A. A.; Sauer-Gürth, H.; Gonzalez, J. (2009). "Molecular phylogeny of owls (Strigiformes) inferred from DNA sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b and the nuclear RAG-1 gene" (PDF). Ardea. 97 (4): 581–592. doi:10.5253/078.097.0425. S2CID   55406064.
  8. ↑ Omote, K.; Nishida, C.; Dick, M. H.; Masuda, R. (2013). "Limited phylogenetic distribution of a long tandem-repeat cluster in the mitochondrial control region in Bubo (Aves, Strigidae) and cluster variation in Blakiston's fish owl (Bubo blakistoni)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 66 (3): 889–897. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2012.11.015. PMID   23211719.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 König, C. & Weick, F. (2008). "Buffy fish owl Bubo ketupu". Owls of the World (Second ed.). London: Christopher Helm. pp. Plate 37. ISBN   9781408108840.
  10. ↑ Sody, H. J. V. (1989). "Unpublished manuscripts of H. J. V. Sody: Diets of Javanese birds". In Becking, J. H. (ed.). Henri Jacob Victor Sody (1892-1959): His Life and Work: a Biographical and Bibliographical Study. Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 164–221. ISBN   9004086870.
  11. ↑ Mikkola, H. (2012). Owls of the World: A Photographic Guide. Firefly Books. ISBN   9781770851368.
  12. 1 2 Shepherd, C. R.; Shepherd, L. A. (2009). "An emerging Asian taste for owls? Enforcement agency seizes 1,236 owls and other wildlife in Malaysia". Birding Asia. 11: 85–86.
  13. ↑ Shepherd, C. R. (2012). "The owl trade in Jakarta, Indonesia: a spot check on the largest bird markets". Birding Asia. 18: 58–59.
  14. ↑ Iqbal, M. (2016). "Predators become prey! Can Indonesian raptors survive online bird trading?" (PDF). Birding Asia. 25: 30–35.
  15. ↑ Nijman, V.; Nekaris, K. A. I. (2017). "The Harry Potter effect: The rise in trade of owls as pets in Java and Bali, Indonesia". Global Ecology and Conservation. 11: 84–94. doi: 10.1016/j.gecco.2017.04.004 .
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