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Kushiro Shitsugen NP, Hokkaido
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At up to 70 cm long, with a wingspan reaching 1.8 m, the Blakiston’s fish owl is Japan’s largest owl. A large female can weigh as much as 4.6 kg.
Its fishing gear is built right in: water-shedding plumage helps when it dives, while its bare toes grip slippery fish without feathers getting in the way.
Ainu-language records call the fish owl kotan-kor-kamuy, often translated as “village-guardian deity.” The name is documented in communities including Kussharo and Bihoro.
Kushiro City Museum lists the fish owl as rare in the area and says breeding in Kushiro Wetland is unconfirmed. It depends on wooded riverbanks, not open reedbeds.
A typical nest is a hollow in a broadleaf tree at least 80 cm wide at chest height. Sometimes, though, these owls nest on rock ledges instead.
Fish are the main course, but the owl also hunts frogs, small mammals and birds. Along coasts, it can even take fish from tide pools.
One pair may use a river-centered territory of about 10–14 km². Rivers, lakes and their wooded edges provide both fishing grounds and places to roost and nest.
Leaving the nest doesn’t mean a chick is independent: parents may feed it for up to a year. Pairs that raise young often skip breeding the following season.
Ainu museum records describe young fish owls being included in an iomante, a ceremony for sending a kamuy’s spirit back to its world—befitting a bird regarded as a powerful deity.
When the national protection plan began in 1993, Hokkaido’s population was estimated at about 100 birds. By 2022, 100 pairs had been confirmed, though habitat work remains essential.
By March 2025, live fish were being supplied at 10 sites across Hokkaido. Only designated staff may enter feeding areas, helping prevent the owls from becoming used to people.
In 2026, researchers banded 41 chicks from 36 nests in Hokkaido. The ID rings help trace where owls were born and how they disperse; about 60% of injured or ill wild owls rescued in the previous 5 years were already ringed.
At the Kushiro Shitsugen Wildlife Center, a dedicated conservation facility, injured rare birds—including fish owls—receive treatment and rehabilitation. Exhibits explain their ecology, and some birds unable to return to the wild can be seen.
A pair’s calls have different voices: the male gives a low “vuu-vuu,” and the female answers “voh.” An Ainu-language record from Kussharo also notes the call as “hu! hum!”
