Part 8

Description.—Size small, not much larger than a Robin; adults and young alike; wings pointed. _Male_: Top of head blue-gray, with rusty brown crown-patch; sides of head buffy or whitish, with black marks below eye, on ear-coverts, and on side of nape; back rich reddish brown, barred on scapulars, and sometimes on back, with black; wing-coverts blue-gray, spotted with black; primaries black, barred with white; tail rich rufous, tipped with white, and with a broad subterminal bar of black; underparts whitish or buffy, sometimes quite reddish, with spots or bars of black on sides and flanks; cere and feet yellow; eyes dark brown. Female quite different, having the back and tail heavily barred with black, the wing-coverts reddish brown barred with black, and the underparts _streaked_ with pale reddish brown. _Length_: About 10 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A common and widely distributed summer resident from March 10 to November 15. Occasional in winter.

Nest.—In a cavity in a tree or in a bird-box from 20 to 40 feet from the ground. _Eggs_: 4 to 8, buffy or whitish, heavily spotted with reddish brown.

The trim form of this elegant creature is a familiar roadside acquaintance, and the piercing _killee, killee, killee_ of the bird, as it hovers looking for prey, is characteristic. The Sparrow Hawk is distinctly beneficial, feeding upon grasshoppers, field mice, and other small mammals. It is protected by law at all times in Pennsylvania.

OSPREY; FISH HAWK _Pandion haliaëtus carolinensis_ (Gmelin)

Description.—Size large, wings long, giving the bird in flight somewhat the appearance of a gull; feet large, the outer toe reversible, the under side of the toes with spiny scales for holding slippery prey; upperparts blackish brown, the feathers margined with brownish; nape and superciliary white or whitish spotted with black; tail with from six to nine grayish bands, noticeable particularly on the inner web; underparts shining white, with spots of brown on breast, particularly in the female. The under wings are white save the greater coverts and flight feathers which are prominently barred; a black area at the bend of the wing; bill black; feet pale blue-gray; eyes orange-yellow. _Length_: 23 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Common and regular, principally along the waterways, as a migrant in April and May and in September and October. Rare and local as a summer resident. Additional nesting records are desirable.

Nest.—A bulky mass of sticks and débris, usually placed in a dead tree, sometimes at the very top, from 20 to 50 feet from the ground. _Eggs_: 2 to 4, whitish, spotted with reddish brown, or solid rich brown. There is much variation in the color of the eggs.

The Osprey is usually seen near a lake or waterway. Its easy flight gives it somewhat the bearing of a gull, but its broad, barred tail and dark upperparts distinguish it even at a great distance.

The Osprey’s food is almost altogether fish. Its firm, glossy plumage, its great claws, its slender, long wings, are all adapted to the capture of fish, upon which it pounces from the air, plunging into the water, sometimes to be lost to view for a second or more. Occasionally it grips a fish so large that it cannot extricate its talons, and is dragged to an unfortunate death. When the Osprey rises from a plunge in the water it often halts in mid-air to shake itself free of water, a somewhat amusing performance.

Although the Osprey eats fish almost exclusively, it is protected in Pennsylvania. It sometimes captures the destructive carp which is such a pest in some localities. It does not often take trout or other valuable food or game-fish and never captures birds or game. Smaller birds, such as grackles, fear the Osprey so little that they have been known to build their own cradles among the foundation material of the Osprey’s bulky eyrie. Along the Atlantic Coast Ospreys sometimes nest on the ground.

BARN OWL _Tyto alba pratincola_ (Bonaparte)

Other Names.—Monkey-faced Owl; Golden Owl.

Description.—Larger than a Crow; face with round ruff of feathers about eyes; legs very long and lanky, with sparse feathering down to tips of toes. Face white, with reddish brown area about eye and narrow ring of reddish brown at outer edge of facial disc; upperparts golden brown, much variegated with fine gray barring and black and white speckling; underparts white, buffy, or ochraceous, finely spotted with black. The under surface of the wings is principally white, but the flight-feathers, as well as the tail, are narrowly barred with dark gray; bill pale flesh-color; eyes black. _Length_: 18 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common though somewhat local summer resident, chiefly in the southern and southeastern counties, and only rarely in the northern and mountainous counties and at high altitudes, from late March to November; occasional in winter. In the western counties it has been known to nest as far north as Crawford County.

Nest.—In a large cavity in a tree, often a sycamore, or in a barn or loft wherever the eggs may be laid with safety. _Eggs_: 5 to 9, white.

When a country newspaper announces the capture of a creature, half monkey and half bird, the bird student may be fairly certain that someone has found a Barn Owl. The strange, melancholy expression of the bird’s face, its peculiarly awkward, long legs, and its odd habit of bowing, hissing, and swaying back and forth, all make it an object of great curiosity.

The Barn Owl can see perfectly by day, though it is chiefly nocturnal. It preys upon rats, mice, and shrews principally, and is almost altogether beneficial in its food-habits. All Owls have the habit of throwing up wads of indigestible matter, such as the bones and fur of the mice they have eaten. An examination of the pellets of the Barn Owl has shown that these creatures eat but very few birds and virtually no game.

Half-grown young in their nest, clamoring for food, make a considerable outcry. They have insatiable appetites and during early summer the parents are kept busy bringing in rats and mice for their hungry offspring.

The Barn Owl’s golden brown and gray back, its white appearance beneath, and its _lack of any ear-tufts_ are good field-marks. This species is protected in Pennsylvania.

LONG-EARED OWL _Asio otus wilsonianus_ (Lesson)

Other Names.—Cat Owl; Cedar Owl; Hoot Owl.

Description.—Size medium, about that of a Crow; head with two prominent tufts of feathers which are nearly always held erect in life; feet fully feathered. Upperparts gray, mottled with buffy brown and speckled with black and white; tail with six or eight dark gray bars; face whitish to rich buff, bordered by black; ear-tufts black margined with whitish or buffy; underparts whitish, washed irregularly with buffy—the breast broadly and irregularly streaked and the sides and belly _barred_ with dark brown and gray; feet buffy; eyes bright yellow. _Length_: 15 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common, though somewhat local resident, which may migrate to an extent when food is scarce during winter. It is usually to be found near hemlocks.

Nest.—A flat platform of twigs, sometimes built upon the old nest of a squirrel or Crow, lined with finer materials and a few belly feathers from the owls. Sometimes an old Crow nest is used without any renovation or addition. _Eggs_: 4 to 6, white.

Long-eared Owls are neither noisy nor bold, and may therefore live in a region without being known unless the bird student assiduously searches for them in dense hemlock clumps, in cedars, or thick grape-vine tangles, where they are usually to be found. They are principally nocturnal, and it is sometimes difficult to make the birds fly from their perches during the day. Any medium-sized owl which flies from a dense hemlock is likely to be of this species. Its general appearance, at such a time, is grayish.

It is a highly beneficial bird, living almost altogether on mice which it captures both in the woodlands and at the edges of fields. These it swallows wherever it may be, but the pellets are usually cast up during the daytime at the favorite resting-place, so after a few months’ sojourn at one point the pellets become numerous. Pellets of this nature, strewn over the ground, are always a fairly sure sign of the presence of owls.

The young, which resemble their parents in color, are remarkably adept at clambering about their nesting-tree before they can fly. They are odd in appearance when newly hatched, with their queer eyes and large mouths. Since the eggs are laid and hatch at intervals of two or three days each, the young are of different sizes.

The call-note of this Owl, which I have not frequently heard, resembles a Screech Owl’s quavering whistle somewhat, but is shorter, more whining, and less musical, and is varied with angry, coughing sounds. This species is protected in Pennsylvania.

SHORT-EARED OWL _Asio flammeus_ (Pontoppidan)

Other Names.—Meadow Owl; Marsh Owl; Swamp Owl; Bog Owl.

Description.—Size medium, like the Long-eared Owl; head with very small tufts, _not apparent in field_. Dark brown above, the feathers margined with buffy brown, the wings spotted and barred with buffy, the tail with rich buffy and brown bands of about equal width; underparts buffy or whitish, streaked, broadly on breast, narrowly on belly, with dark brown; feet buffy; eyes yellow. _Length_: 15 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common and regular migrant from March 1 to April 15 and sometimes later and from October 1 to November 15. It has been known to nest once or twice within the Commonwealth; it is sometimes found in winter, particularly in the lowlands of the less mountainous counties.

The Short-eared Owl sometimes hunts during the day. It courses over the meadows and marshes, its wide, soft wings carrying it easily but rather unsteadily, a few feet from the ground. As a rule, it prefers to hunt at eventide.

It nearly always perches on the ground. Its coloration is protective as it sits among the dead grasses or cat-tail leaves, motionless until it springs awkwardly into the air and makes off. It does not often alight in trees, though it may occasionally roost in low, dense bushes or conifers.

As the Short-ear flies away, the light spots on the upper surfaces of the wing and the dark spots at the bend of the wing on the under surface are usually noticeable. Any medium-sized owl which flies up from the ground in the open is almost certain to be of this species.

Its food habits are strictly beneficial. It captures mice, preferring to hunt in the open, almost never capturing its prey in the woodlands. It is often found in large flocks during the period of migration. In fact, where one occurs others are likely to be found. Flocks sometimes number a hundred or more individuals. When these owls visit a farm in such numbers for a week or two, they may effectively destroy the mice and other destructive small mammals.

The Short-eared Owl is curious; squeaking cries, given in imitation of a mouse or small bird, will sometimes cause it to come very close, where it may hover for several seconds, if the observer remains perfectly motionless. The Short-eared Owl is protected in Pennsylvania.

BARRED OWL _Strix varia varia_ Barton

Other Names.—Hoot Owl; Black-eyed Owl (rare).

Description.—Much larger than a Crow; no tufts on the head; feet feathered almost to claws. Upperparts dull chocolate-brown, each feather with two or three grayish white or buffy bars, especially noticeable on scapulars; tail and wings distinctly barred; face grayish, finely barred with dark gray; underparts whitish or grayish white, tinged with buff, the breast distinctly _barred, the belly and sides streaked_ with dark brown; bill greenish yellow; eyes very large, dark brown with blue-black pupils. _Length_: 20 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common but rather local permanent resident, found chiefly in deep woodlands and usually along streams or in lowlands, not on the ridges as is the Great Horned Owl.

Nest.—Almost always a cavity in a tree, though sometimes the deserted nest of a Crow or hawk. _Eggs_: 2 to 4, white, and quite round.

I shall never forget my first glimpse of a Barred Owl. In a deep woodland, where all was quiet and where shadows lent an air of mystery, I suddenly realized that a shapeless ball of brown on a nearby branch was _three_ young Barred Owls, sitting very close together, eyes nearly shut. As I approached they refused to budge, preferring, it appeared, to keep their eyes closed so as not to be bothered with any unpleasant consideration of an encounter with an enemy. When I rapped the branch upon which they sat, they opened their eyes, popped their beaks, and flew off grunting. Their mother swooped down upon me with an angry cry.

The Barred Owl’s song is weird. It is a series of eight or nine hoots which are given with much vigor, and which, at a distance, sound like the barking of a dog. When two or three Barred Owls join in a chorus, the effect is unbelievably comical. The usual cry is often varied with single hoots, barks, or grunts.

It is not blameless in food habits. The usual fare of mice and chipmunks is occasionally varied with squirrels, rabbits, and birds, usually of smaller varieties.

A good imitation of the cries of a Barred Owl may draw the creatures close, sometimes many of them at once. This cry will sometimes attract Crows also, who sense the possibility of a good hour’s attack upon an ancient foe.

The Barred Owl is not protected in Pennsylvania.

SAW-WHET OWL _Cryptoglaux acadica acadica_ (Gmelin)

Description.—Considerably smaller than a Screech Owl; no tufts on head. _Adults_: Facial disc white, with radial streaks of brown; upperparts dull chocolate-brown, finely streaked on head and spotted on back and wings with white; tail with three or four whitish bars; underparts white, broadly streaked with dark reddish brown; legs and feet white, feathered down to claws; eyes yellow. _Immature_: Like adult, but head and back unspotted, and breast brown, unstreaked; belly deep buffy; eyes brownish. _Length_: 8 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Nests rarely in the northern and mountainous counties. Chiefly to be found as an irregular visitor in winter, in northern and central Pennsylvania.

Nest.—In a cavity, frequently a woodpecker’s deserted nest. _Eggs_: 3 to 5, white.

This tiny owl is rarely seen, even though it lives in the vicinity. It hunts its food at night and sleeps so soundly by day that it may be captured in the hand. Its food habits are strictly beneficial and it is protected by law.

Look for the Saw-whet Owl in dense growths of alder, hemlock, or in vines. A very small owl of erratic, rapid flight is likely to be of this species. All records of it are very desirable.

SCREECH OWL _Otus asio nævius_ (Gmelin)

Other Names.—Squinch Owl; Little Owl; Red Owl; Gray Owl; Hoot Owl; Squeak Owl; Mottled Owl.

Description.—Size small, but little longer than a Robin, though heavier; head with prominent ear-tufts, almost always visible in the field; feet feathered down to claws. _Red phase of plumage_: Upperparts bright reddish brown, finely streaked with black, the scapulars streaked with buffy white; underparts white, streaked finely with black, and barred with reddish brown, chiefly on sides. _Gray phase of plumage_: Upperparts gray, mixed with brownish, streaked with blackish and mottled with white and buffy, especially on scapulars; underparts white, streaked and barred with black, grayish, and white, some of the patterns of the feathers being beautiful and unusual; eyes yellow. _Length_: 9½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A common permanent resident throughout the Commonwealth.

Nest.—In a cavity in a tree, often in an orchard. _Eggs_: 4 to 6, white.

The Screech Owl is usually a familiar village bird whose quavering song is thought by some to be sad and ominous, by others to be among the most beautiful songs given by our birds. It lives principally upon mice but it also captures small birds, particularly in the spring when it feeds upon nestlings which it finds in the vicinity. The coloration of the Screech Owl is interesting. That there should be two distinct types of color pattern, wholly independent of age, sex, or season, seems rather useless. Some purpose at present unknown may be served by this phenomenon. The Screech Owl is protected in Pennsylvania.

GREAT HORNED OWL _Bubo virginianus virginianus_ (Gmelin)

Other Names.—Hoot Owl; Big Owl; Cat Owl.

Description.—Size large; head with prominent tufts of feathers; feet fully feathered down to claws; female noticeably larger than male. Facial disc rich orange-brown; ear-tufts black, edged with rich buffy; upperparts mottled and speckled with gray, black, white, and buffy; throat pure white; underparts buffy and white, finely and thickly barred with black; feet buffy; tail and wings inconspicuously barred; eyes large, bright yellow. _Length_: About 2 feet.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common permanent resident throughout, particularly in higher woodlands along the ridges.

Nest.—An old Crow’s or hawk’s nest, somewhat relined, or a large cavity in a tree or cliff. _Eggs_: 2 or 3, white, and nearly round.

The eggs of this great bird of prey are laid early. More than once I have seen the mother incubating eggs, her back covered with snow. In Pennsylvania, nesting usually begins in mid-February, though a set of eggs has been taken in late January.

The Great Horned Owl is so muscular and so well armed with heavy beak and iron talons that it does not hesitate to capture large prey, such as large chickens, geese, and even turkeys. It is very fond of cotton-tail rabbits, whose skulls it crushes with a nip of its beak, and often kills skunks, though it may carry a reminder of the encounter for months. It is one of our most destructive birds of prey, though it varies its diet with mice and other harmful creatures.

The deep-voiced hoot of this owl is usually heard on early spring nights. A mellow, bass _who, who-who-who, who, who_, with remarkable carrying power, is the love-song. It is sometimes given all night long during late January, when the moonlight gives the woodlands a chilly and mysterious brilliance. A loud and startling scream is sometimes given, which is often wrongly attributed to a wild cat. The probability is that a wild cat in its wildest fit of anger or alarm could not produce a sound half so loud and terrifying.

In captivity the Great Horned Owl rarely becomes tame, though it may stand on its perch quietly enough during the day. One which I had at one time was somewhat tractable, yet not to be trusted. It caught the fingers of my left hand one day with its great claws. Being unable to extricate myself, and being threatened at any minute with a nip from the vicious beak, I summoned aid. I learned a little that day about the terrific grip that closes upon the unfortunate rabbit or skunk this creature captures.

SNOWY OWL _Nyctea nyctea_ (Linnæus)

Other Names.—White Owl; Arctic Owl; Snow Owl.

Description.—Size large, head without ear-tufts; feet so heavily feathered that the claws are sometimes hidden. Plumage white, barred with dark grayish brown, particularly on the back and wings and sides of breast. Individuals vary greatly in appearance, some being pure white, others being heavily barred. Younger birds are usually darker. Eyes bright yellow. _Length_: About 2 feet.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A rare and irregular winter visitor, particularly in the northern counties, and occasionally common as during the hiemal invasion which occurred in 1926-27.

The Snowy Owl is a bird of the open fields, not of the woodlands, and, like the Rough-legged Hawk, is likely to be seen perched on a fence-post, a hay-stack, or on the ground, rather than in a tree. Its white plumage makes it a prominent feature of the landscape save when there is snow on the ground.

In Pennsylvania, its food includes small game animals and birds, mice, and other small mammals, and, occasionally, poultry. It is not particularly harmful, since it usually confines its hunting to the open fields. In the North Country it preys upon water-fowl. Its flight is very strong and rapid. It is not protected in Pennsylvania, though it should be because of its great rarity.

YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO _Coccyzus americanus americanus_ (Linnæus)

Other Name.—Rain-Crow.

Description.—A long, slender bird about the size of a Robin, with very long tail and curved bill; feet with two toes pointing forward, two backward. Upperparts olive-gray, glossed with green, the primaries rich reddish brown, apparent in flight; tail with outer feathers black, _broadly_ tipped with white, the outer vane of outer feathers also white; underparts white; bill blackish, the lower mandible rich yellow; eyes dark brown; eyelids yellowish. _Length_: 12 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A summer resident from early May to late September, found chiefly about orchards and shade trees, principally in the southern and less mountainous counties. Additional nesting records of this species are desirable.

Nest.—A loose platform of twigs placed on a horizontal branch, usually not more than 15 feet from the ground. _Eggs_: 3 to 6, pale greenish blue.

The cuckoos are slim, retiring birds, which often are not seen unless they fly from the thick leaves where they have been searching for caterpillars—their favorite food. The Yellow-billed Cuckoo’s very reddish wings serve to identify it at considerable distance. Its song is an unmusical series of _kuks_. No song is given which resembles the word “cuckoo,” our birds receiving their name merely from their relationship to the famed English bird.

BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO _Coccyzus erythophthalmus_ (Wilson)

Other Name.—Rain-Crow.

Description.—Upperparts grayish brown, faintly glossed with greenish and bronze; outer tail-feathers narrowly and _inconspicuously_ tipped with white; underparts white, somewhat grayish on throat and breast; bill black; eyes dark brown; _eyelids red_. _Length_: A little under 12 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A summer resident from early May to latter September. I have found this species common in some of the northern counties where the Yellow-billed species was rare.

Nest.—A rather well-built platform of twigs, lined with leaves and a few grasses, usually but a few feet from the ground on a horizontal branch in a rather thick clump of saplings or in alders. _Eggs_: 2 to 5, glaucous green, somewhat like those of the Yellow-bill, but darker and smaller.

The Black-billed Cuckoo is fond of lowlands which are upgrown with young saplings, or of alders along streams. It is sometimes seen in orchards. The song of the Black-bill differs from that of the Yellow-bill in that the syllables are grouped, usually in threes. The song might be written _kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk, cl-uck, cl-uck, cl-uck, kuk-kuk-kuk, kuk-kuk-kuk, kuk-kuk-kuk, kuk-kuk-kuk_, the last syllables dying off gently. The Yellow-bill’s song is louder.