Bay owl

Bay owl
Oriental bay owl
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Strigiformes
Family:Tytonidae
Genus:Phodilus
Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, I, 1830
Species
Synonyms
  • Photodilus

The bay owls (Phodilus) are a genus of 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.[1] The name is from the Ancient Greek phōs for "light" or "daylight" and deilos for "timid" or "cowardly".[2] Most classification schemes recognize three extant species in this genus:[3]

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.

References

  1. ↑ Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, Isidore (1830). "Remarques sur les charactères et la classification des oiseaux de proie nocturnes, et description d'un genre nouveau sous la nom de Phodilus". Annales des sciences naturelles (in French). 21: 194–203 [199].
  2. ↑ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 303. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  3. ↑ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2017). "Owls". World Bird List Version 7.3. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 28 May 2017.

Further reading

  • Pycraft, W. P. (1903). "On the Pterylography of Photodilus". Ibis. 45 (1): 36–48. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1903.tb03917.x.
  • Bruce, M. D. (1999): Family Tytonidae (Barn-owls). In: del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. (eds): Handbook of Birds of the World, Volume 5: Barn-owls to Hummingbirds: 34-75, plates 1-3. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ISBN 84-87334-25-3
  • Media related to Phodilus at Wikimedia Commons
  • Data related to Phodilus at Wikispecies


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.