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. == Taxonomy == The spot-bellied eagle-owl, like its close relative, the barred eagle-owl, is one of the species that would have to be moved into Ketupa if that genus is to be retained, according to mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data (Olsen et al. 2002). Unlike the "fish owls" that were also considered to be included in Ketupa, the barred and the spot-bellied species are not closely tied to riparian habitats and piscivorous eating habits. However, all eagle-owls and fish owls (as well as the snowy owl (Bubo scandianus)) were at one point deemed insufficiently distinct to warrant separate genera and until fairly recently authors generally treat all within the genus Bubo. Due to its forest-dwelling habits and some superficial characteristics, it has been wondered by some authors if the spot-bellied eagle-owl is related to the rainforest-dwelling eagle-owls of Africa, namely the Fraser's (Ketupa…