Quick answer
IUCN status: Least ConcernBuffy fish owl at a glance
The buffy fish owl (Ketupa ketupu) is a bird in the family Strigidae. Range in Indonesia: Sumatra, Java, Bali and Borneo. Diet: largely fish, also crabs, frogs, reptiles and insects. IUCN Red List status: Least Concern.
| Scientific name | Ketupa ketupu |
|---|---|
| Indonesian name | Beluk ketupa |
| Group | Birds |
| Family | Strigidae |
| Range in Indonesia | Sumatra, Java, Bali and Borneo |
| Linked habitats | Tropical Rainforests, Freshwater Wetlands, Mangroves, Urban Habitats |
| Diet | Largely fish, also crabs, frogs, reptiles and insects |
| Range in Indonesia | Sumatra, Nias, Riau Islands, Bangka, Belitung, Java, Bali, Borneo |
| Key feature | Sideways ear tufts, yellow eyes, bare legs |
| Size | Length 40–48 cm, weight 1,028–2,100 g |
| Other names | Beluk ketupa, Malay fish owl, Bubo ketupu |
| IUCN status | Least Concern · IUCN Red List (via GBIF) · checked 14 October 2026 |
In this guide (12)
What is the buffy fish owl?
The buffy fish owl (Ketupa ketupu) is a medium-sized to fairly large, fish-eating owl with ear tufts that stick out sideways. Owl Pages gives a length of 40–48 cm and a weight of 1,028–2,100 grams, with females larger than males. Its upperparts are rich brown with buff-edged back feathers; its forehead and eyebrows are white, its eyes yellow and its long legs bare.
Horsfield described it from Java in 1821 (Birds of the World). The IUCN, Birds of the World and Owl Pages use the name Ketupa ketupu (family Strigidae); the IUCN lists Bubo ketupu as a synonym and assessed the species as Least Concern in 2024.
Evidence: The Owl Pages — Buffy Fish Owl (Ketupa ketupu) ↗ · Birds of the World (Cornell Lab) — Buffy Fish-Owl, Ketupa ketupu (Holt et al. 2020) ↗ · IUCN Red List — Ketupa ketupu, Buffy Fish-owl (BirdLife International 2024) ↗
Where does the buffy fish owl live?
The buffy fish owl lives in lowland forest and near fresh water in Sumatra, Java, Bali and Borneo. Birds of the World places the nominate subspecies in the Malay Peninsula, the Riau Archipelago, Sumatra, Bangka, Belitung, Java, Bali and Borneo except the north-west, while K. k. minor lives on Nias. The IUCN also lists it in countries including Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore.
The IUCN lists moist tropical lowland forest, rivers, lakes and freshwater marshes, as well as rural gardens, plantations, aquaculture ponds and urban areas. Owl Pages adds mangroves and notes that it often lives near settlements. By day it roosts, often alone, in densely leaved trees.
Evidence: Birds of the World (Cornell Lab) — Buffy Fish-Owl, Ketupa ketupu (Holt et al. 2020) ↗ · IUCN Red List — Ketupa ketupu, Buffy Fish-owl (BirdLife International 2024) ↗ · The Owl Pages — Buffy Fish Owl (Ketupa ketupu) ↗
What does the buffy fish owl eat?
As its name suggests, the buffy fish owl eats a lot of fish. Owl Pages notes that its diet also includes crustaceans, reptiles, frogs, toads and insects, as well as rats, mice and large beetles. It sometimes takes bats and has been reported to eat carrion.
It hunts from a perch at the water's edge or from a tree on a wooded bank, swooping down to snatch prey from the surface. It also walks in shallow streams to catch crabs, frogs, fish and aquatic insects.
How does the buffy fish owl nest and call?
The buffy fish owl often nests on top of a bird's-nest fern or in the fork of a thick bough covered with ferns, moss and orchids. Owl Pages notes that in West Java eggs are found mainly from February to April, and less often from May to July. There is usually one egg, sometimes two, incubated for 28–29 days.
A rattling ‘kutook, kutook’ series is thought to be the male's song. Before breeding the owls are particularly noisy, and pairs may duet for many minutes; the female's voice is slightly higher (Owl Pages).
Which kinds of owls live in Indonesia?
Mongabay Indonesia says at least 54 owl species live in Indonesia, in two families: the heart-faced Tytonidae, such as the barn owl (Tyto alba), and the round-faced Strigidae. The buffy fish owl is one of the Strigidae, along with scops owls (Otus) and boobooks or hawk-owls (Ninox). Some species are endemic to single islands.
Mongabay Indonesia describes the Siau scops owl (Otus siaoensis) as one of Indonesia's rarest birds. The P.106/2018 annex lists 16 owl species as protected: 14 in the Strigidae (Otus and Ninox, entries 645–658) and 2 in the Tytonidae (Tyto, entries 689–690). The buffy fish owl is not listed in the P.106/2018 annex.
Evidence: Mongabay Indonesia (2024) — Spesies Burung Hantu Ini Jadi Pahlawan Petani ↗ · JDIH Kementerian Kehutanan — Lampiran Permen LHK P.106/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/12/2018 tentang Jenis Tumbuhan dan Satwa yang Dilindungi ↗ · IUCN Red List — Ketupa ketupu, Buffy Fish-owl (BirdLife International 2024) ↗
Why is the buffy fish owl traded, and how can you help?
The buffy fish owl is sold as a pet, part of a rise in owl sales in Java and Bali's bird markets since the late 2000s (Mongabay). Nijman and Nekaris's 2012–2016 surveys of 20 markets estimated that at least 12,000 scops owls are sold yearly, plus about a thousand larger owls, including this species. Most are wild-caught, and about half of the roughly 2,000 owls seen were downy chicks.
The IUCN (2024) notes it appeared in three of seven trade datasets studied by Donald and colleagues. Near fish ponds it is sometimes persecuted for taking fish (Owl Pages). Do not buy wild-caught owls; report wildlife trade to the BKSDA.
Evidence: Mongabay (2017) — Harry Potter may have sparked illegal owl trade in Indonesia ↗ · IUCN Red List — Ketupa ketupu, Buffy Fish-owl (BirdLife International 2024) ↗ · The Owl Pages — Buffy Fish Owl (Ketupa ketupu) ↗
Explore related habitats
These habitat relationships are supported by species sources in this guide. This is not a complete range map.
Scientific classification of the Buffy fish owl
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Strigiformes |
| Family | Strigidae |
| Genus | Ketupa |
| Species | Ketupa ketupu |
Source: GBIF Backbone Taxonomy, adjusted to the ranks commonly used in school biology (for example class Reptilia).
Common questions about the buffy fish owl
What is the scientific name of the buffy fish owl?
The scientific name of the buffy fish owl is Ketupa ketupu, in the family Strigidae. In Indonesian it is called Beluk ketupa.
Where does the buffy fish owl live in Indonesia?
In Indonesia, this guide records the buffy fish owl in: Sumatra, Java, Bali and Borneo.
Source-supported habitats: Tropical Rainforests, Freshwater Wetlands, Mangroves, Urban Habitats.
What does the buffy fish owl eat?
Diet of the buffy fish owl: largely fish, also crabs, frogs, reptiles and insects.
What are the main features of the buffy fish owl?
Key features of the buffy fish owl, from this guide’s sources: Key feature: sideways ear tufts, yellow eyes, bare legs; Size: length 40–48 cm, weight 1,028–2,100 g.
What is the scientific classification of the buffy fish owl?
Scientific classification of the buffy fish owl: kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata, class Aves, order Strigiformes, family Strigidae, genus Ketupa, species Ketupa ketupu.
Source: GBIF Backbone Taxonomy, adjusted to the ranks commonly used in school biology.
Is the buffy fish owl endangered?
No, according to the global IUCN assessment. On the IUCN Red List, the buffy fish owl is listed as Least Concern: it does not qualify for a threatened category or for Near Threatened in the global assessment. Source: IUCN Red List (via GBIF), checked 14 October 2026.
This global category is separate from legal protection in Indonesia. To check whether the buffy fish owl is a protected species, consult the current national list of protected species or contact the local BKSDA (natural resources conservation office).
Sources & references
- The Owl Pages — Buffy Fish Owl (Ketupa ketupu) ↗
- Birds of the World (Cornell Lab) — Buffy Fish-Owl, Ketupa ketupu (Holt et al. 2020) ↗
- Mongabay Indonesia (2024) — Spesies Burung Hantu Ini Jadi Pahlawan Petani ↗
- Mongabay (2017) — Harry Potter may have sparked illegal owl trade in Indonesia ↗
- IUCN Red List — Ketupa ketupu, Buffy Fish-owl (BirdLife International 2024) ↗
- JDIH Kementerian Kehutanan — Lampiran Permen LHK P.106/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/12/2018 tentang Jenis Tumbuhan dan Satwa yang Dilindungi ↗
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (GBIF) ↗
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, version 2026-1, via GBIF (CC BY 4.0) ↗
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PanduanHewan. Buffy fish owl (Ketupa ketupu). Last substantive update: 14 October 2026. https://panduanhewan.org/en/species/buffy-fish-owl/