- Phodilus badius
Identification
The Oriental Bay Owl (Phodilus badius) is a type of owl, usually classified with barn owls. It has a heart-shaped face with earlike extensions. This small to medium sized owl is distinctive in its strikingly marked, angular face - a dark V-shaped marking running down the centre of the face, between the eyes, contrasts with the pale chestnut brown colouration. The head is broad and there is no narrowing at the neck. The legs are long and fully feathered. The underside of the body has dark flecks and the back and short, rounded wings are dark chestnut brown, spotted with black and yellow. The ears are slightly tufted
Distribution
Southeast Asia.
Taxonomy
Sri Lanka Bay Owl was formerly considered conspecific.
Four subspecies recognized:
- P. b. saturatus from Sikkim and northeast India to south China, Burma, Thailand and Indochina.
- P. b. badius on the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Nias Island
- P. b. arixuthus on Bunguran Island (Natuna Islands)
- P. b. parvus on Belitung Island (off southwest Borneo)
Habitat
Woodland, plantations and mangrove swamps.
Behaviour
It nests in hollow trees and tree stumps, laying between 3-5 eggs. Its diet includes small mammals, small birds, reptiles, frogs and insects. It is completely nocturnal.
References
- Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Oriental Bay Owl. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Oriental_Bay_Owl
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
