One of the 10 owls on WAnimals
Birds · Strigiformes · Strigidae
Blakiston's Eagle-owl
Bubo blakistoni
Endangered
At very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.
Blakiston's fish owl, or the Manchurian fish owl, is considered by some scientists to be the largest owl species in the world, at up to 72 centimetres in length and with a wingspan of up to 2 metres, rivalling the Eurasian eagle-owl. The species was originally placed in the genus Ketupa, which covers the fish owls, but DNA results are unclear as to which of the two genera would be the more appropriate for it. Its habitat is riverine forest, with large old trees in which to nest, near rivers, lakes and springs that do not freeze in winter. Henry Seebohm named the bird after the English naturalist Thomas Blakiston, who collected the original specimen at Hakodate on Hokkaido, Japan, in 1883.
Weight
2.9 kg – 4.6 kg
Size
60 cm – 72 cm
