Henry Seebohm named after the English naturalist Thomas Blakiston, who collected the original specimen in Hokkaido, Japan in 1883.
It is habitat is dense old growth forest near waterways or wooded coast lines of Russian Far East and Hokkaido, Japan. Their main prey is fish, they also known to catch mammals, amphibians, crustaceans and other birds. Unlike other eagle owls, they hunt mainly on the ground along riverbanks.
They are the largest owls in the world and revered by the Ainu people of Hokkaido as a Kamuy(divine being) called Kotan koru Kamuy(God that protects the village).
They are endangered due to widespread loss of riverine forest, increasing development along rivers and dam construction.
June 2013, London
