[3][4] The name is from the Ancient Greek phōs for "light" or "daylight" and deilos for "timid" or "cowardly".

[1] Other characteristics of the bay owl are groupings of feathers that resemble ears, and a divided face disk.

[3] Their throat has a creamy colour and their underparts are often a pale yellowish-brown, with speckles of blackish-brown.

[3] The bay owls can be found in regions from India to Southeast Asia and Indonesia.

[1] It is uncertain where their ancestors lived as the phylogeny of all species of bay owls has not been examined.