Buffy Fish-Owl

Buffy Fish-Owl

Ketupa ketupu

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Singapore

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

355 Verified sightings at Singapore
1,952 In all 10 parks From 2019 to 2026
February Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Buffy Fish-Owl

The buffy fish owl (Ketupa ketupu), also known as the Malay fish owl, is a fish owl in the family Strigidae. It is native to Southeast Asia and lives foremost in tropical forests and wetlands. Due to its wide distribution and assumed stable population, it is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List since 2004.

Strix ketupu was the scientific name proposed by Thomas Horsfield in 1821 for a buffy fish owl collected in Java. Ketupa was proposed as generic name by René-Primevère Lesson in 1831 for fish owl species from Java and India. In the 19th and 20th centuries, several zoological specimens of buffy fish owls were described:

Ketupa minor by Johann Büttikofer in 1896 were two small fish owls collected on Nias island with a wing chord of 29.5–30 cm (11.6–11.8 in), a tail of 14–14.5 cm (5.5–5.7 in), and a short bill of 3.5 cm (1.4 in). Bubo ketupu aagaardi by Oscar Neumann in 1935 was a pale fish owl specimen from Bangnara in Thailand with a wing chord of 31.5–34.5 cm (12.4–13.6 in).

Bubo ketupu pageli also by Neumann in 1935 was a reddish fish owl from the mountains of northeastern Borneo with a wing chord of 31–33 cm (12–13 in). Three are recognised today as Ketupa... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:40

Malaysia · 2025

© Nick Talbot · XC1036313 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song1:30

Malaysia · 2017

© Ding Li Yong · XC384497 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Recording0:21

Malaysia · 2020

© Lim Ying Hien · XC627194 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~40%
2 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~30%
3 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~20%
4 Danum Valley Conservation Area 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~20%
5 Sundarbans National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
6 Khao Luang National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
7 Khao Sok National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
8 Taman Negara National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
9 Sepilok 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
10 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Singapore 🇸🇬 Singapore
<5%
2 Kuala Lumpur 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Prague Zoo 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
2 Melaka Zoo and Bird Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia In captivity
3 Walsrode World Bird Park 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
4 Taman Safari Indonesia 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity
5 Kemaman Zoo & Recreation Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia In captivity
6 Night Safari 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
7 Singapore Zoo 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
8 Gembira Loka Zoo 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity
9 Surabaya Zoo 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity
10 Bandung Zoo 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity
11 Bird Paradise 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
12 Rainforest Wild Asia 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
13 Kuala Lumpur Bird Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia In captivity
14 River Wonders 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
15 Bird Park Steinen 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
16 Taman Margasatwa dan Budaya Kinantan 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity
17 Bali Bird Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity
18 Sea World Indonesia 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity
19 Rákosův pavilon 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
20 Velemlokárium 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
21 Batu Secret Zoo 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Buffy Fish-Owl in Singapore?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Buffy Fish-Owl sighting in Singapore on a given day, based on 355 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 134th most-seen of the 298 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Buffy Fish-Owl in Singapore?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Buffy Fish-Owl in Singapore on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Buffy Fish-Owl?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Buffy Fish-Owl sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Singapore the best place to see a Buffy Fish-Owl?

Yes

Of the 2 cities where we can rate Buffy Fish-Owl sightings, Singapore has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia, under 5%).

Where does the Buffy Fish-Owl sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Buffy Fish-Owl is recorded against all the birds logged in Singapore (355 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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