Indonesia's Illegally Traded Owls

Owls are for sale inside a cage at the bird market in Malang, East Java Province, Indonesia, on September 8, 2025. Indonesia is home to 45 species of owls, many of which appear in markets. Scops owls (Otus spp.) are among the most numerous and frequently traded, being smaller and typically less expensive. However, larger species like Barn Owls (Tyto alba), Oriental Bay Owls (Phodilus badius), Buffy Fish Owls (Ketupa ketupu), as well as Wood-owls, Eagle-owls, and Fish-owls, are also increasingly seen. Estimates from a ResearchGate study indicate that about 12,000 Scops owls and 1,000 larger owls are sold annually in Indonesian bird markets, a figure the study suggests involves a significant number of wild-caught birds. (Photo by Garry Lotulung/NurPhoto via Getty Images)