Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl

The spot-bellied eagle-owl (Ketupa nipalensis), also known as the forest eagle-owl is a large bird of prey with a formidable appearance. It is a forest-inhabiting species found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. This species is considered part of a superspecies with the barred eagle-owl (Ketupa sumatrana), which looks quite similar but is allopatric in distribution. The spot-bellied eagle-owl is a large species of owl. It measures from 50 to 65 cm in length. It is the sixth longest owl in the world on average and has the ninth longest wings of any living owl The widely reported weight range for this species is 1.3 to 1.5 kg, but this is probably towards the low end or is possibly representative only of smaller males. That body mass range is similar to that of the larger race of barred eagle-owl, which are in all races considerably smaller going on total length, standard measurements and appearance. One female shot near Haputale in the Badulla District of Sri Lanka, where the owls are smaller than to the north, was found to have weighed 1.7 kg. Perhaps a more correct average weight range for the species is 1.5 to 2.5 kg. A large owl, presumed as an eagle-owl, recorded on the illegal wildlife trade from India purportedly weighed 3 kg. The ear-tufts of the spot-bellied are very long and conspicuously of variable length, giving them a somewhat scraggly appearance at the tips. The spot-bellied eagle-owl has feathered legs and feet, like most eagle-owls, but the terminal digits of the toes are bare before the talons. The feet and talons are as formidable as any eagle-owl, being very large, heavy and powerful for their size.