Blakiston's fish owl
Amazing fact
Blakiston’s fish owl parents continue to feed their young after they leave the nest.
Biodiversity Center of Japan
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Blakiston’s fish owl parents continue to feed their young after they leave the nest.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Blakiston's fish owl
- Scientific name
- Ketupa blakistoni blakistoni
- Japanese name
- シマフクロウ
- Group
- Birds
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Strigidae
- Genus
- Ketupa
Where the name “Blakiston's fish owl” comes from
The shima in its Japanese name refers to its presence in Hokkaido.
札幌市円山動物園This page covers the Hokkaido subspecies, following Japan’s Ministry of the Environment nomenclature.
How the Blakiston's fish owl lives
Males and females call back and forth in loud, low voices. They lay eggs in spring.
札幌市円山動物園Basic data
- Size
- Total length: 66–69 cmWingspan: up to 180 cm
- Diet
- Fish, amphibians, crustaceans, birds, small mammals and other animals
- Range
- Hokkaido and the Northern Territories
- Conservation status in Japan
- Endangered (EN)Ministry of the Environment of Japan, 5th Red List (2026)
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- シマフクロウ
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 環境省 — シマフクロウChecked: 2026-11-03
- 札幌市円山動物園 — シマフクロウChecked: 2026-11-05
- 旭山動物園 — シマフクロウChecked: 2026-11-05
- Biodiversity Center of Japan — Blakiston's Fish OwlChecked: 2026-11-05
- Ministry of the Environment of Japan, 5th Red List (2026)Checked: 2026-11-07
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
The conservation status in Japan is the category in the Red Lists of the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, which assess the risk of extinction for wild animals in Japan.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Blakiston's fish owl, look for this
- Look for its ear tufts and the stripes on its gray-brown feathers.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
旭山動物園EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Blakiston's fish owl
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Hokkaido
Tohoku
Kanto
Chubu
- Chausuyama Zoo公式の園内マップでシマフクロウ舎・掲載を確認（種の個別紹介ページはなし）
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Strigidae
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