Brown Fish-Owl

Huge bulky brown owl with a finely streaked breast, a plain face, and bright yellow eyes. Also note its dirty white “bib” and the heavy brow that gives it a moody demeanor. Inhabits waterside wooded areas from lowlands up into the mountains; feeds by dropping down into and wading around in creeks, lakes, and pools. Often gives deep echoing hoots, as well as various shrieks and higher-pitched hoots.

In Sri Lanka, the Brown Fish Owl primarily inhabits wooded areas near water bodies, including lowland forests, wetlands, and riverbanks, particularly in national parks like Wilpattu, Yala, and Sinharaja Forest Reserve, where it can be found throughout the country from the lowlands to the mountains; it is also commonly spotted near village tanks and trees along rivers, especially in the dry zone.

In Sri Lanka, the Brown Fish Owl primarily feeds on fish, frogs, and freshwater crabs, with a preference for larger freshwater fish and Potamon crabs; its diet may also include small mammals, snakes, lizards, insects, and occasionally water birds, often hunting from perches near water bodies to swoop down and catch its prey.