Barred Eagle-Owl

Barred Eagle-Owl
This species is defined as a Review Species . Please submit your records of this species via our record submission page .

Scientific Name: Ketupa sumatrana

Malay Name: Burung-Hantu Bertanduk Belang Melayu

Chinese Name: 马来雕鸮

Range: Found from Thai-Malay Peninsula to Sumatra, Java and Borneo.

Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: sumatrana, strepitans, tenuifasciata.

Local Subspecies: sumatrana

Size: 45.5-46.5 cm

Identification: Adult has brown-and-buff bars on its upperparts, blackish-and-whitish bars on its underparts, dark eyes and very distinctive outward facing ear tufts. Head and body of juvenile whitish with narrower bars.

Habitat: Forest, forest edge, secondary growth and plantation.

Behaviour/Ecology: Diet includes grasshoppers, beetles, rodents, birds and snakes. Had been observed to prey on Long-tailed Macaque.

Local Status: Rare resident

Conservation Status: Near Threatened (BirdLife International 2022)

Featured reports: Mar 2022, Apr 2022, Jul 2022, Dec 2022, Feb 2023, Jun 2023, Jul 2023, Sep 2023, Oct 2023, Nov 2023, Dec 2023, Feb 2024, Jun 2024, Sep 2024, Oct 2024, Nov 2024, Dec 2024, Jan 2025, Apr 2025

Past records in our database:

Showing only accepted records. Note that records currently under review are also not displayed, and the list may not be a full list of records of this species in Singapore. For more details, check the database here.

Barred Eagle-Owl at Rifle Range Link. Photo credit: Francis Yap
Barred Eagle Owl at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Photo Credit: Vincent Ng
Barred Eagle-Owl at NTU. Photo credit: Jared Tan
Barred Eagle Owl at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Barred Eagle-Owl at Singapore Quarry. Photo credit: Francis Yap
Barred Eagle-Owl at Rifle Range Link. Photo credit: Jared Tan
External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Barred Eagle-Owl)

References:

BirdLife International. (2022). Bubo sumatranus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T22688976A207944973.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Barred Eagle-Owl. Retrieved on June 16, 2025 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/barred-eagle-owl.

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