Ketupa ketupu
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Way Kambas National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 2 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 3 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 4 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 5 | Sundarbans National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Khao Luang National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 7 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 8 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 9 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 10 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 2 | Kuala Lumpur | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 2 | Melaka Zoo and Bird Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 3 | Walsrode World Bird Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Taman Safari Indonesia | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 5 | Kemaman Zoo & Recreation Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 6 | Night Safari | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 7 | Singapore Zoo | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 8 | Gembira Loka Zoo | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 9 | Surabaya Zoo | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 10 | Bandung Zoo | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 11 | Bird Paradise | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 12 | Rainforest Wild Asia | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 13 | Kuala Lumpur Bird Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 14 | River Wonders | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 15 | Bird Park Steinen | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 16 | Taman Margasatwa dan Budaya Kinantan | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 17 | Bali Bird Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 18 | Sea World Indonesia | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 19 | Rákosův pavilon | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 20 | Velemlokárium | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 21 | Batu Secret Zoo | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Buffy Fish-Owl sighting in Khao Yai National Park on a given day, based on 486 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 63rd most-seen of the 278 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Buffy Fish-Owl in Khao Yai National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March to July, the lowest months. That is one of Khao Yai National Park's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain against 330 mm in September.
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.
3rd of 10
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Buffy Fish-Owl sightings, Khao Yai National Park ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Way Kambas National Park (Indonesia, about 40%) and Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (Malaysia, about 30%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Buffy Fish-Owl is recorded against all the birds logged in Khao Yai National Park (486 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
