Fish owl


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:
Blakiston's fish owl described by Henry Seebohm in 1883 was a fish owl from Japan. It was thought to form the link between Ketupa and Bubo species, as its toes are bare of feathers like in Ketupa species, but it is much larger. Since its first description, it was repeatedly placed in Ketupa.