Tawny fish owl facts for kids
The tawny fish owl (Ketupa flavipes) is a special type of fish owl. It belongs to the family of typical owls, called Strigidae. These owls live in many parts of Asia. You can find them from southern Nepal all the way to Bangladesh, Vietnam, and China. Because they are found in so many places, experts consider them a species of 'Least Concern'. This means they are not currently in danger of disappearing.
Quick facts for kids Tawny fish owl |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Ketupa
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| Species: |
flavipes
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| Synonyms | |
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Cultrunguis flavipes Hodgson, 1836 |
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Contents
What's in a Name? (Taxonomy)
The tawny fish owl has a scientific name, Ketupa flavipes. This name helps scientists around the world know exactly which animal they are talking about.
A scientist named Brian Houghton Hodgson first described this owl in 1836. He called it Cultrunguis flavipes. He found this yellow-footed fish owl in Nepal.
Later, in 1831, another scientist named René-Primevère Lesson suggested the name Ketupa. This name is used for fish owl species found in places like Java and India.
Scientists have studied the family tree of owls. They found that all the Ketupa species, including the tawny fish owl, are closely related. They form a special group that came from a common ancestor.
How to Spot a Tawny Fish Owl (Description)
Tawny fish owls look a bit different from other owls. They have large ear tufts, but these usually hang down. They often look a bit messy or tousled. Their eyes are a bright yellow color.
Many people think the tawny fish owl is the most beautiful of the fish owls. They are usually an orangey-red color on their heads and backs. They have dark, blackish marks and spots on their feathers.
Their shoulder feathers are a dull yellow. These yellow feathers create a band across the owl's shoulders. Their wing and tail feathers have strong dark brown and light brown stripes.
The owl's face doesn't have a very clear shape. But a large off-white area above its eyes and on its forehead stands out.
Most owls have feathers all the way down their legs. But the tawny fish owl only has feathers on about two-thirds of its legs. The lower part of their legs is greenish-yellow. Their claws are a greyish-horn color.
Fish owls have special feet that help them catch fish. Their toes have a rough texture on the bottom. This helps them grip slippery fish. Their talons are strong, curved, and sharp, much like those of eagle owls.
Unlike many owls, fish owls do not fly silently. Their feathers are not soft like other owls' feathers. They lack the special fringes that help other owls fly quietly. This means you can hear their wings flap when they fly.
Also, fish owls do not have a deep facial disc. This part of an owl's face helps them hear sounds better. Since fish owls rely more on sight than sound for hunting, their facial disc is not as deep.
Tawny fish owls are about the same size as brown fish owls. They are usually between 48 to 61 centimeters (19 to 24 inches) long. But they are surprisingly heavier than brown fish owls. They are also much heavier than eagle owls of similar length.
Adult tawny fish owls can weigh around 2415 grams (5.3 pounds). Their weight can range from 2050 to 2650 grams (4.5 to 5.8 pounds). This makes them one of the heaviest living owl species. Only the Blakiston's fish owl and most types of Eurasian eagle owls are heavier on average.
Where They Live (Distribution and Habitat)
The tawny fish owl lives in forests in many parts of Asia. These forests can be subtropical or temperate. You can find them in southern Nepal, northern India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Laos, Myanmar, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
They live in the Himalayan foothills. Their range stretches from Kashmir and Garhwal in the west. It goes east to the mountains in Laos, Vietnam, and southern China. They can be found up to the regions of Zhejiang and Anhui.
These owls need forests with mountain streams. In places like Darjeeling and Nepal, they live at high elevations. They can be found from 1500 to 2450 meters (4,900 to 8,000 feet) above sea level.
Their home range sometimes overlaps with the brown fish owl. This happens in Laos and Vietnam. In these areas, the tawny fish owl prefers fast-flowing rivers. They like remote, wild places where there is little disturbance from people.
Daily Life and Hunting (Behaviour and Ecology)
The tawny fish owl makes a deep whoo-hoo sound as its call. It can also make a sound like a cat's meow.
Scientists in Taiwan studied four tawny fish owls. They put small radio transmitters on them. They watched these owls from 1994 to 1996.
The owls were mostly active at night. They left their daytime resting spots around sunset. They returned before the sun came up. They moved and hunted most actively during twilight hours. They could travel up to 1800 meters (5,900 feet) in an hour.
They moved more often in the cold season. In summer, owls that were raising young sometimes moved during the day. This was mainly for cleaning their feathers. They also hunted during the day when they needed to feed their young owls.
Each owl used up to 17 different resting spots. All these spots were in old forests. They were usually 20 to 550 meters (66 to 1,800 feet) away from a stream. In colder weather, they rested closer to streams. But in warmer months, they moved to resting spots higher up on hills. They avoided areas like grasslands, farms, and places near villages.
Tawny fish owls can also be active during the day. This usually happens in the late afternoon. They might hunt before it gets dark, especially on cloudy days. But before the afternoon, they tend to be slow during the day. If someone bothers them, they usually stay still instead of flying away. Like most owls, they pick hidden spots to rest during the day. This helps them avoid being seen.
The tawny fish owl is known as the "most powerful and wild" of the smaller fish owl species. Scientists found owl pellets (regurgitated food remains) in Taiwan. These pellets contained parts of crabs, frogs, toads, freshwater crabs, shrimp, and fish. They ate toads more often than other frogs. This is because toads are larger, even if there are fewer of them.
These owls usually hunt by diving down to the water. They catch fish from the surface. They are very active hunters, similar to how fish eagles or ospreys hunt. They also eat prey found on land. They hunt toads, lizards, snakes, and small mammals. These mammals include moles and especially rodents, like bamboo rats. There has even been a report of them eating a small Malayan porcupine.
They also hunt birds. This includes Mandarin ducks in Taiwan. They can even catch large ground birds. These include junglefowl, pheasants, and eared pheasants. Some of these birds can weigh more than 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds). Tawny fish owls usually live far apart from each other. They often live along rivers for about 5.5 to 7.7 kilometers (3.4 to 4.8 miles).
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Tawny fish owls are very solitary and protective of their territory. This is common for most owls. Their breeding season is from November to February in India. In Assam, it is from December to February.
They do not build nests. Instead, they lay their eggs on the bare ground of a chosen spot. They have been found nesting in large holes in river banks. They also use caves in cliffs or the fork of a large tree. Sometimes, they even use old nests built by Pallas's fish eagles.
Usually, they lay two eggs, but sometimes only one. The eggs are similar in size to those of the brown fish owl. They are about 56 to 58.8 millimeters (2.2 to 2.3 inches) long. They are about 45.5 to 48.3 millimeters (1.8 to 1.9 inches) wide. The average size is 57.1 x 46.9 millimeters (2.25 x 1.85 inches). Scientists are still learning more about how they raise their young. But it is thought to be similar to other fish owls.
