bay owl, (Phodilus badius), uncommon and atypical Asian owl classified with the barn owls (family Tytonidae). It has a heart-shaped facial disk, which has two earlike extensions that aid sound reception. The bay owl lives in Southeast Asia and is entirely nocturnal and retiring. The Congo bay owl of Africa, which is sometimes classified as a separate species, is even less well known. Bay owls eat insects, lizards, frogs, and small mammals and birds.