The genus formerly contained just three species, the fish owls but based on the results from a genetic study published in 2020, the generic boundaries were altered.

The genus Ketupa was introduced in 1830 by the French naturalist René Lesson for fish owl species from Java and India.

[3] The genus name is derived from the Malay word Ketupok for the buffy fish owl.

A molecular phylogenetic study of the typical owl family (Strigidae) published in 2020 and another study published in 2021 found that the genera Ketupa and Scotopelia were embedded in the genus Bubo, rendering the genus paraphyletic.

[5][6][7] The genus now contains twelve species:[7] Media related to Ketupa at Wikimedia Commons