CreatureData

Brown fish owl

Ketupa zeylonensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)

LCLeast Concernowls

The brown fish owl (Ketupa zeylonensis) is a species in the family Strigidae, order Strigiformes. Recorded adults weigh about 1.11 kg. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Brown fish owl (Ketupa zeylonensis)
Photo: Somaskanda · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the brown fish owl

Weight
1.11 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
riverinesrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
35 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
1.75 – 2src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the brown fish owl live?

Not recorded

What is the brown fish owl?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The brown fish owl (Ketupa zeylonensis) is a fish owl species in the family known as typical owls, Strigidae. It is native from Turkey to South and Southeast Asia. Due its wide distribution it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It inhabits forests and wooded wetlands. Of the four living species of fish owl, it is the most widely distributed, most common and best-studied. It occupies a range of over 7,000 km (4,300 mi).

From the Wikipedia article “Brown fish owl” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brown_fish_owl&oldid=1369474036), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the brown fish owl endangered?

The brown fish owl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the brown fish owl classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderStrigiformes
  5. familyStrigidae
  6. genusKetupa
  7. SpeciesKetupa zeylonensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)

Synonyms Bubo zeylonensis, Strix ceylonensis, Strix zeylonensis

Other names and names in other languages (57)
  • Brown fish-owlEnglish
  • Brown fish-owlEnglish
  • بومة سمك بنيةArabic
  • بوم السمك البنيArabic
  • بوهة السمك بنيةArabic
  • Цейлонски бухалBulgarian
  • duc pescador bruCatalan
  • Ketupa zeylonensisCatalan
  • ketupa rybíCzech
  • Brun FiskeugleDanish
  • FischuhuGerman
  • Wellenbrust-FischuhuGerman
  • ΨαρόμπουφοςGreek
  • bruna fiŝgufoEsperanto
  • Búho Pescador CastañoSpanish
  • Búho pescador de CeilánSpanish
  • kalakakkEstonian
  • جغد ماهی خوارPersian
  • جغد ماهیخوار قهوهایPersian
  • kalahuuhkajaFinnish
  • Kétoupa brunFrench
  • Grand-duc brunFrench
  • Iasc-ulchabán donnIrish
  • קטופהHebrew
  • קטופה מצויהHebrew
  • smeđa ušaraCroatian
  • barna halászbagolyHungarian
  • indiai halászbagolyHungarian
  • ÁruglaIcelandic
  • Gufo pescatore brunoItalian
  • ミナミシマフクロウJapanese
  • カッショクウオミミズクJapanese
  • rudasis žuvinis apuokasLithuanian
  • brūnais zivjūpisLatvian
  • മീൻകൂമൻMalayalam
  • हुमणMarathi
  • Burung Hantu IkanMalay
  • ဒီးဒုတ်Burmese
  • मलाहा हुचीलNepali
  • Bruine VisuilDutch
  • ketupa bosonogaPolish
  • bufo-pescadorPortuguese
  • bufo-pescador-castanhoPortuguese
  • Бурый рыбный филинRussian
  • RuškesguollelidnuNorthern Sami
  • ketupa rybárkaSlovak
  • ribja uharicaSlovenian
  • Сова рибарSerbian
  • Azijska sova ribarSerbian
  • brun fiskuvSwedish
  • பூமன் ஆந்தைTamil
  • นกทึดทือพันธุ์เหนือThai
  • Balık BaykuşuTurkish
  • пугач-рибоїд бурийUkrainian
  • 褐渔鸮Chinese
  • 褐漁鴞Chinese
  • 褐魚鴞Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the brown fish owl

Other species in the same genus Ketupa.

LC, Least Concern

Akun eagle-owl

Ketupa leucosticta

StrigidaeNo free photo yet

CompareBrown fish owl vs Buffy fish owlBrown fish owl vs Tawny fish owlBrown fish owl vs Akun eagle-owlBrown fish owl vs Giant eagle owl

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the brown fish owl?

An adult brown fish owl weighs 1.11 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the brown fish owl endangered?

The brown fish owl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the brown fish owl?

The brown fish owl (Ketupa zeylonensis) belongs to the family Strigidae in the order Strigiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Brown fish owl (Ketupa zeylonensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/brown-fish-owl

MLA

“Brown fish owl (Ketupa zeylonensis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/brown-fish-owl.

BibTeX
@misc{brown_fish_owl_2026,
  title = {Brown fish owl (Ketupa zeylonensis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/brown-fish-owl},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}