Bay owl


The bay owls are a genus of Old World barn-owls that make up the subfamily Phodilinae.

Taxonomy and systematics

The genus Phodilus was erected by the French zoologist Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1830. The name is from the Ancient Greek phōs for "light" or "daylight" and deilos for "timid" or "cowardly".
Most classification schemes recognize three extant species in this genus:
ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution
Phodilus prigogineiCongo bay owlItombwe Mountains in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
Phodilus badiusOriental bay owlPhilippines, China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei
Phodilus assimilisSri Lanka bay owlisland of Sri Lanka and the Western Ghats in Kerala, South Western India

Description

Bay owls appear similar to other barn-owls; they are generally smaller, have ear-like feather tufts, and have a more divided and U-shaped facial disk.

Distribution and habitat

Bay owls can be found in central Africa, and from the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia and the Indonesian archipelago.