Ketupa nipalensis
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The spot-bellied eagle-owl (Ketupa nipalensis), also known as the forest eagle-owl, is a large bird of prey with a formidable appearance. It is a forest-inhabiting species found in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. This species is considered part of a superspecies with the barred eagle-owl (Ketupa sumatrana), which looks quite similar but is allopatric in distribution.
The spot-bellied eagle-owl, like its close relative, the barred eagle-owl, is one of the species that would have to be moved into Ketupa if that genus is to be retained, according to mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data (Olsen et al. 2002). Unlike the "fish owls" that were also considered to be included in Ketupa, the barred and the spot-bellied species are not closely tied to riparian habitats and piscivorous eating habits. However, all eagle-owls and fish owls (as well as the snowy owl (Bubo scandianus)) were at one point deemed insufficiently distinct to warrant separate genera and until fairly recently authors generally treat all within the genus Bubo. Due to its forest-dwelling habits and some superficial characteristics, it has been wondered by some authors if the spot-bellied eagle-owl is... Wikipedia →
Recording0:32
India · 2023
© karle pranav · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Sri Lanka · 2023
© sanuka · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Vietnam · 2026
© Next Continent: Wildlife, Photography and Natural History Tours · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 3 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 4 | Cuc Phuong National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 5 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 6 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 8 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 11 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 12 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 13 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 14 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 15 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thrissur | 🇮🇳 India |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tierpark Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Ueno Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 3 | Himalayan Zoological Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes | 🇫🇷 France |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl sighting in Minneriya National Park on a given day, based on 33 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 113th most-seen of the 155 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and October–February
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl in Minneriya National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March and May–September, the lowest months. Those are among Minneriya National Park's wettest months, with about 180 mm of rain a month against 20 mm in June.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spot-bellied Eagle-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 15
Of the 15 parks where we can rate Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl sightings, Minneriya National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Mudumalai National Park (India, about 20%) and Khao Yai National Park (Thailand, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl is recorded against all the birds logged in Minneriya National Park (33 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.
