[citation needed] Four subspecies are recognized:[3] Individuals are small, with distinguishing features such as highly angular heads.

Oriental bay owls have large, striking black eyes which are highlighted due to the color contrast of their faces.

Being that they are small and typically stand upright, they are very difficult to spot as they find comfort in their vast range of habitats.

Their ability to resonate is remarkable, for they not only hoot, but also scream and create high pitched whistle songs.

Their songs typically consist of four to seven melancholic whistles, lasting anywhere between two and eight seconds, and the pitch slightly increases towards the end.

They are most comfortable living in woodland, plantations and mangrove swamps at altitudes of up to 7,220 feet (2,200 meters), leading to them being scattered around India, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines and other parts of Southeast Asia.

The species can be seen in the tropical wet evergreen forest as high altitudes reaching heights of 1,040-1,050m above sea level.

These sightings of the owl are rare and occurred between February and June 1998 in Sengaltheri, Tamil Nadu, India.

[10] The Oriental bay owls prey upon small rodents, bats, birds, snakes, frogs, lizards, magpies and large arthropods such as beetles, grasshoppers, and spiders.

Being that the owls find themselves most comfortable in Southeast Asia and parts of India, they are surrounded by a very humid and tropical climate.