Sri Lanka Bay Owl (Phodilus assimilis)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Sri Lanka Bay Owl

Phodilus assimilis Hume, 1877

280 gWeight

The Sri Lanka bay owl (Phodilus assimilis) is a species of bay owl in the family Tytonidae.

Busiest months: January · Most records: India, Sri Lanka

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: January · Most records: India, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Bay Owl has been recorded at 14 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 2 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Thattekad Bird Sanctuary – UrulanthanniIndia220 records
  2. Thattekkad Bird SanctuaryIndia173 records
  3. Sinharaja – Kudawa Village areaSri Lanka36 records
More places
  1. Sinharaja Forest ReserveSri Lanka24 records
  2. Sinharaja NP – Kudawa accessSri Lanka22 records
  3. Kudawa – Thurusevana RoadSri Lanka12 records
  4. Kitulgala – Kelani Valley/Makandawa Forest ReserveSri Lanka11 records
  5. Siharaja Forest Reserve – Visitor CentreSri Lanka10 records
  6. Sinharaja Forest Reserve – Deniyaya accessSri Lanka4 records
  7. KitulgalaSri Lanka4 records

Countries and regions with the most records

IndiaSri Lanka

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The Sri Lanka bay owl (Phodilus assimilis) is a species of bay owl in the family Tytonidae. It is endemic to the island of Sri Lanka and the Western Ghats in Kerala, South Western India. It was considered a subspecies of the Oriental bay owl (Phodilus badius) but is now treated as a full species due to its distinctive call, plumage and disjunct distribution.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Sri Lanka Bay Owl?

The Sri Lanka Bay Owl weighs around 280 g.

Where does the Sri Lanka Bay Owl live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: Sri Lanka, southwestern India. It is most often recorded in India and Sri Lanka.

When is the best time to see the Sri Lanka Bay Owl?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Sri Lanka Bay Owl endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Sri Lanka Bay Owl as Least Concern.

What does the Sri Lanka Bay Owl eat?

Main food: Vertebrate prey.

What family is the Sri Lanka Bay Owl in?

It belongs to the family Barn Owls (Tytonidae), order Strigiformes.

At a glance

Weight
280 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Vertebrate prey
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
191 mm
Tail
83 mm
Bill
32 mm
Tarsus
47 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Oriental: Sri Lanka, southwestern India

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Barn Owls Tytonidae
Genus
Phodilus

Other birds in the genus Phodilus

Oriental Bay OwlOriental Bay OwlPhodilus badiusGreater Sooty OwlGreater Sooty OwlTyto tenebricosaLesser Sooty OwlLesser Sooty OwlTyto multipunctataMinahasa Masked OwlMinahasa Masked OwlTyto inexspectataTaliabu Masked OwlTaliabu Masked OwlTyto nigrobrunneaMoluccan Masked OwlMoluccan Masked OwlTyto sororculaManus Masked OwlManus Masked OwlTyto manusiGolden Masked OwlGolden Masked OwlTyto aurantiaAustralian Masked OwlAustralian Masked OwlTyto novaehollandiaeSulawesi Masked OwlSulawesi Masked OwlTyto rosenbergii
Sri Lanka Bay Owl

Download illustration

Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Chathuri Jayatissa. ↗

WebP · 1070 px

Heard it but can't see it? Mingji identifies birds by sound and photo, on your phone.

In other languages