SPECIES PROFILE

Name: the Blakiston’s fish owl (Bubo blakistoni) is the largest owl in the world. Despite the name they are actually a species of eagle-owl and are more closely related to Eurasian eagle-owls than other fish owls.

Appearance: Blakiston’s fish owls have long beaks and large talons for catching their slippery prey. They are similar in appearance to Eurasian eagle-owls although they are paler, have broader, more ragged ear tufts, and yellow rather than orange eyes.

Size: weighing up to 4.6 kg and with a wingspan of 2 metres, they are the largest species of owl. Eurasian eagle-owls and great grey owls are similar in size although on average Blakiston’s are larger across weight, length and wingspan combined.

Diet: they feed on a variety of aquatic prey although the main source of food is fish. Common prey species include relatively large fish such as catfish, trout, salmon, and lamprey. They can catch fish up to two to three times their own weight!

Did you know: Blakiston’s fish owls are classified as an endangered species by the IUCN – primarily due to loss of habitat. They have important cultural value and are revered by the Ainu peoples of Hokkaido, Japan as divine beings which protect villages. In Russia, they are considered a food source by the Evens people in northern Siberia and the northern Russian Far East.

Location: they can be found in eastern Siberia and northern Japan in forests with large, old trees near to lakes, rivers, and springs that don’t freeze in winter.

Where TO SEE Blakiston’s fish owls

According to reports submitted to WildSide, you can see Blakiston’s fish owls in the following places:

Photo credit: Takashi Muramatsu under a Creative Commons license from Flickr