From Itombwe-Congo Wildlife Conservation
Rare and rediscovered in the Itombwe Forest of Eastern Congo… the Itombwe Owl (also known as the Congo Bay Owl or African Bay Owl).
I thought all these bay owls were in Asia, so I was surprised to find this species in Africa. I’ll have to do some more investigation!
The barn owls are everywhere, and there’s more types than the mostly white ones you are probably thinking of. This guy does have a lot of looks in common with the bay owls, but those are pretty far from central Africa, so I was surprised there was such a large gap with no bay owls. I found a great article on this guy since I made this post that I’ll share this week that covers its genealogy.
The family Tytonidae is split into 2 genus groups, Tyto (barn owls) and Phodilus (bay owls). Spoiler alert - this owl was named when people thought it was a Phodilus, but recent studies now classify it as a Tyto. You’re ahead of the curve, grouping it with the barn owls!
Here’s the two actual bay owls:
Oriental Bay Owl
Sri Lanka Bay Owl