The bay owls (Phodilus) are a genus of Old World owls in the family Tytonidae. The defining characteristics of bay owls are their smaller bodies, in comparison to the barn owls Tyto in the same family, and their U- or V-shaped faces. These owls can be found across southern Asia from southern India and Sri Lanka to Indonesia within forest and grassland ecosystems.
>>>PUT SHARE BUTTONS HERE<<<
👉 Phodilus in the context of Tytonidae
The bird family Tytonidae, which includes the barn owls Tyto and the bay owls Phodilus, is one of the two families of owls, the other being the true owls or typical owls, Strigidae. Tytonidae are medium to large owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons. Tytonidae also differ from the Strigidae in structural details relating in particular to the sternum and feet.
The family is wide-ranging, although they are not very tolerant of severe winter cold, so are absent from northern areas of Europe, Asia, and North America; they are also absent from driest desert regions. They live in a wide range of habitats from semi-deserts to forests, and from temperate latitudes to the tropics. Within these habitats, they live near agricultural areas with high amounts of human activity. The majority of the 20 living species of barn owls are poorly known. Some, like the red owl, have barely been seen or studied since their discovery, in contrast to the western barn owl Tyto alba, which is one of the best-known owl species in the world. However, some subspecies of the western barn owl possibly deserve to be separate species, but are very poorly known.
In this Dossier
Phodilus in the context of Barn owl
The barn owls, owls in the genus Tyto, are the most widely distributed genus of owls in the world. They are medium-sized owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons. The term may be used to describe:
- The whole family Tytonidae, though this also includes the bay owls in the genus Phodilus
- Tyto, the largest genus of birds in Tytonidae, and particularly these species in that genus:
- Three species that are sometimes considered to be a single species known as barn owl or common barn owl:
- Western barn owl Tyto alba, from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East
- American barn owl Tyto furcata, from the Americas
- Eastern barn owl Tyto javanica, from southeast Asia and Australasia
- Andaman masked owl Tyto deroepstorffi endemic to the southern Andaman Islands
- New Caledonian barn owl Tyto letocarti, extinct, from the island of New Caledonia in Melanesia
- Three species that are sometimes considered to be a single species known as barn owl or common barn owl:
- Tyto, the largest genus of birds in Tytonidae, and particularly these species in that genus: