Buffy fish owl | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Strigiformes |
Family: | Strigidae |
Genus: | Bubo |
Species: | B. ketupu |
Binomial name | |
Bubo ketupu (Horsfield, 1821) |
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Synonyms | |
Ketupa ketupu |
Ketupa ketupu
The buffy fish owl (Bubo ketupu), also known as the Malay fish owl, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae.
The four fish owls were previously generally separated in the genus Ketupa. mtDNA sequence data is equivocal on which genus name is applied for them, and today they are commonly lumped with the horned and eagle-owls (Bubo) – which they also resemble osteologically very much – for sake of convenience. Depending on whether some little-studied tropical eagle-owls are closer to the fish-owls than to the typical eagle-owls, Ketupa might be a valid genus if these as well as the fishing owls (formerly Scotopelia) are included in it, although there are a number of osteological differences that suggest that fishing and fish owls are not directly related to each other.
It is found from southern Burma and central India to the south and east to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, peninsular Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, the Riau Archipelago, Sumatra Brunei, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Indonesia down to Java, Bali and Borneo. One specimen was recorded at Cocos (Keeling) Island off Australia, 1,050 km (650 mi) outside its regular range. Its natural habitat is wet tropical forests and other woody areas near water, including wooded banks of rivers, lakes and fish ponds and rich paddies. It can survive well close to human habitations but can also be found in desolate mangrove forests and other less-inhabited or uninhabited areas. It mainly lives in lowlands but can be found at up an elevation of 1,600 m (5,200 ft).