| Bay owl | |
|---|---|
| |
| Oriental bay owl | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Tytonidae |
| Genus: | Phodilus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, I, 1830 |
| Species | |
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| Synonyms | |
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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.[1] These owls can be found across southern Asia from southern India and Sri Lanka to Indonesia within forest and grassland ecosystems.[1]