Birds of Singapore
by the Bird Society of Singapore
Strix seloputo
Family: Owls · Status: Uncommon resident · Size: 44.5–48 cm · Conservation: Least Concern
Occurs across southern Myanmar and Thailand, Indochina, and southwards to Sumatra and Java; also Palawan in the western Philippines.
A medium-sized owl with orange facial disc, dark eyes, and no ear tufts. Back dark brown; entire upperparts covered in white spots. Head blackish, barred white. Underparts white, thickly barred with dark brown; breast has a rusty wash. Juvenile resembles adult but with an overall whitish plumage. Separated from Brown Wood Owl by orange facial disc, lack of dark border around the face and eyes, and much bolder, broader barring on underparts.
Forest edge, wooded areas, and parks; urban-tolerant and found in parkland with large trees.
Hunts from a low perch, preying on rodents, small birds, and large insects.