About Bay Owl (Click-Readmore)
 BAY OWL
Scientific name: Phodilus badius
Family: Tytonidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Strigiformes
Genus: Phodilus
Size: Length 22.5-29cm. Weight 255-308g
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. The facial disc is elongated and coloured whitish-vinaceous, with a broad vertical chestnut-brown zone through each eye.
Distribution and habitat
Bay owls can be found in dense evergreen primary and secondary forest, particularly foothills in central Africa and from the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia and the Indonesian archipelago.
Habits
The Oriental Bay Owl is a nocturnal bird, roosting during the day in holes and hollows in tree trunks, or perched on a branch sheltered by palm leaves or beneath a thick horizontal bend of rattan, usually no more than about 2 metres above the forest floor.
Diet
The Oriental Bay Owl feeds on small rodents (such as rats and mice), bats, birds, lizards, frogs, and large insects such as beetles and grasshoppers.
Breeding
Breeding season is March to May around Nepal and Sikkim. In Java, eggs have been recorded from March to July. Nests are in tree holes, rotten tree trunks or stumps, or cavities.
Incubation starts with the first egg, and is done by the female alone while the male brings in food. | 
Education & Conservation