Blakiston's Fish Owl - Feeding and Behavior

Feeding and Behavior

The Blakiston's Fish Owl feeds on a variety of aquatic prey. The main prey is fish, with common prey including pike, catfish, tuna, trout and salmon. Some fish these owls catch are quite large, weighing at least as much as the owl. In Russia, amphibians are taken in great quantity in spring, especially Dybowski's frog. The two most common hunting methods for Blakiston's Fish Owl are wading through river shallows, and perching on the river bank and waiting for movement in the water. The latter movement is what this spoecies is known for. In this behavior,an induvidual may wait for four hours until it detects prey. A wide variety of mammalian prey are described from Japan, including martens and various rodents. Large mammals are sometimes taken by this species, including hares, rabbits, cats and small dogs. Fewer records are known of bird predation, but birds hunted are known to the size of hazel grouse (Slaght and Surmach 2008). It also takes carrion, as evidenced by fish owls in Russia being trapped in snares set for furbearing mammals, which use raw meat as bait (Slaght and Surmach 2008).

These owls are primarily active at dusk and dawn. During the brood-rearing season, these owls are most often seen active during the day. For an owl, it spends unusual amounts of time on the ground. Occasionally, an owl may even trample out a regular foot path along riverbanks it uses for hunting. Early reports of concentrations of as many as 5-6 owls near rapids and non-freezing springs are possibly dubious, as these owls are highly territorial (Slaght and Surmach 2008).