Part 20

General form short and heavy, with the head apparently disproportionately large, and frequently furnished with ear-like tufts of feathers. Cavity of the ear, large; eyes, usually large, directed forwards, and in the greater number of species formed for seeing by twilight or in the night; bill, nearly concealed by projecting bristle-like feathers; wings, usually, rather long and formed for rather slow and noiseless flight, outer edges of primary quills fringed; tail, various, usually short; legs, generally, rather short, and in all the species, except those of the Asiatic genus _Ketupa_, Lesson, more or less feathered to the toes, generally densely; face surrounded by a more or less perfect disc or circle of short rigid feathers, which circle, with the large eyes directed forwards, gives to these birds an entirely peculiar and cat-like expression, indicative of their analogy to the _Feline_ quadrupeds.

Female larger than the male. General organization adapted to the destruction of living animals in the night, or in the morning and evening twilight—midnight appears to be the noon of these birds, at which they are not disposed to activity.

Species of owls inhabit all parts of the world, most abundantly in America and Asia. There are about one hundred and forty described species, of which number, specimens of about one hundred and twenty are in the collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. The species inhabiting the continent and islands of America are about forty.

A.

I. SUB-FAMILY STRIGINÆ. THE TRUE OR TYPICAL OWLS.

Head, large; facial disc, perfect; bill, rather long; eyes, of moderate size; wings, long; tail, moderate; legs, rather long, clothed with short feathers; toes, long—size, medium, never very large; colors of plumage in the greater number of species, yellowish-fawn color and white.

I. GENUS STRIX. Linnæus Syst. Nat., I. p. 131. (1766.)

Head, large, without ear-tufts; cavity of the ear, large; bill, rather long, covered at the base by projecting, bristle-like feathers; eyes, rather small, and surrounded by radiated feathers; facial disc, perfect; wings, very long, pointed, and with the outer edges distinctly fringed; tarsi, long, thinly covered with feathers; toes, long, more or less covered with bristles; claws, long, moderately strong, curved, very sharp; tail, moderate, or rather long. Contains about twelve species of all parts of the world, nearly all of which resemble in a greater or less measure _Strix flammea_, of Europe, and _Strix pratincola_, of North America.

1. Strix pratincola. Bonap. Comp. List., p. 7. (1838.) The Barn Owl. Strix americana. Aud. Orn. Biog. II. p. 421 (1834, but not of Gmelin, 1788).

Wilson Am. Orn., VI. pl. 50., fig. 2. Aud. B. of Am. pl. 171, octavo edition, I. pl. 34. Nat. Hist. State of New York Birds, pl. 13, fig. 28.

Typical, and strictly exhibiting the generic characters.

Adult. Entire plumage above, pale fawn color, or tawny brownish-yellow, in some specimens nearly white, mottled with dark-gray and white, especially on the back and wing coverts and outer webs of the quills, which mottling gives the predominating color of those parts to many specimens; nearly every feather with a small subterminal black spot succeeded by another of white. Quills, fawn-colored, or pale reddish-yellow, varying much in shade in different specimens, and fading into nearly white on the inner webs; primaries with about five irregular transverse bars of brownish-black. Under parts, generally pale fawn color, but in some specimens, pure white, with small sagittate, lanceolate or circular spots of brownish-black; tibiæ and tarsi similar in color to the other under parts, but frequently unspotted and pure white; inferior coverts of the wing and tail, white; tail, same color as quills and crossed by four or five bars of dark-brown; face, white, with central spots of dark-chestnut nearly encircling the eyes, disc feathers tipped with dark fawn-color and brownish-black, forming a very conspicuous margin, especially on the lower part of the face; bill, toes and claws, light-yellowish; irides, brown. Distinctive colors of sexes not well understood, but they are, probably, nearly alike.

Dimensions. _Female_, total length, about 16 inches; wing, 13; tail, 5½ inches. _Male_, smaller.

Hab. The whole of North America, except the northern regions; more abundant in the south. Wisconsin (Dr. Hoy), Vermont (Dr. Brewer, Mr. Z. Thompson), Massachusetts (Dr. Emmons), Oregon (U. S. Ex. Exp., Vincennes), California (Dr. Heermann), New Mexico (Dr. Henry), South Carolina (Mr. Audubon, Prof. Gibbes), Texas, Mexico (Lieut. Couch). Spec. in Mus. Acad., Philada.

Obs. This handsome species of Owl may be regarded as most properly a southern and western species, being of rather rare occurrence north of Virginia, though it breeds occasionally in the Northern States. It is nearly related to _Strix flammea_ of Europe, but is larger. It very much resembles also several other species of various parts of the world, such as _S. perlata_ of South America, _S. furcata_ of the island of Cuba, and others. Naturalists have, in fact, established species on very slender characters, amongst the owls of this group. It is a very harmless bird, resorting in the south to buildings and outhouses, and subsisting on small animals. Different specimens vary considerably in shade of color and somewhat in dimensions.

II. SUB-FAMILY BUBONINÆ. THE HORNED OWLS.

Size, various, in some species very large, in others, small; head, large, always furnished with conspicuous ear-tufts, facial disc incomplete in the upper part; legs, feet and claws usually strong. This division contains numerous species of all parts of the world, except Australia.

I. GENUS BUBO. Cuvier, Regne Animal, I. p. 331. (1817.)

Size, large; general form, very robust and strong; head, large, with prominent ear-tufts; eyes, very large; wings, long, wide; tail, moderate; tarsi short, and with the toes densely feathered; claws, very strong, curved; bill, rather short, curved from the base, strong, covered at base by projecting plumes. This genus contains the large horned Owls of which there are about fifteen species, the greater part being peculiar to Asia and Africa.

1. Bubo virginianus. (Gmelin.) The great horned Owl. The Cat Owl. Strix virginiana. Gm. Syst. Nat. I. p. 287. (1788.) Strix pythaules. Bartram Trav. p. 289. (1791.) Bubo ludovicianus. Daudin Traité d’Orn. II. p. 210. (1800.) Bubo pinicola. Vieill. Ois. d’Am., Sept., I. p. 51. (1807.)

Edward’s Birds, II. pl. 60. Vieill., Ois. d’Am., Sept., I. pl. 19. Wilson, Am. Orn., VI. pl. 50. fig. 1. Aud., B. of Am., pl. 61, Oct. ed., I. pl. 39. Nat. Hist. N. Y., pl. 10, fig. 22.

Large, adult, entire plumage above, dark-brown, every feather mottled, and with irregular lines of ashy-white and reddish fulvous, the latter being the color of all the plumage at the bases of the feathers. Ear-tufts, dark-brown, nearly black, edged on their inner webs with dark fulvous, a black spot above and extending somewhat in front of the eye, radiating feathers behind the eye, dark reddish fulvous, feathers of the facial disc tipped with black; throat and neck before, white; breast, with wide longitudinal stripes of black; other under parts finely variegated with white and fulvous, and every feather having transverse narrow lines of dark-brown. In many specimens, the middle of the abdomen is pure white; legs and toes light fulvous, generally unspotted, but in some specimens, with transverse narrow bars of dark-brown; quills, brown, with wide transverse bands of cinereous, tinged on the inner webs with pale fulvous; tail, the same, with the pale fulvous predominating in the outer feathers; iris, yellow; bill and claws, dark.

The colors of the plumage, and the size also, in this species, vary materially. There may be distinguished the following varieties, which appear to be permanent in individual specimens, and are to some extent geographical. Though at present, with a large number of specimens before us, we are of opinion that they are all of one species, it may be that they are distinct:

Variety, _atlanticus_.

The common species as just described. Feathers of the face behind the eye, always bright reddish fulvous, and the entire plumage more marked with that color than in the others, as below. This variety inhabits the eastern and northern portion of North America.

Variety, _pacificus_.

Feathers of the face, behind the eye, ashy, generally faintly tinged with fulvous. General plumage with the fulvous color paler than the preceding.

This variety appears to be restricted to the west, and nearly all the specimens that we have seen are of a smaller size than it is usual to find in the eastern bird, though we have seen specimens of the latter which were not larger.

Variety, _arcticus_. Bubo arcticus. Swainson, Faun. Bor. Am. Birds, p. 86, pl. 30. (1831.) Bubo sub-arcticus. Hoy, Proc. Acad., Philada., VI. p. 211. (Dec. 1852.)? Bubo septentrionalis. Brohm., Vog. Deutschl., p. 120. (1831.)? Strix scandiaca. Linn., Syst. Nat., I. p. 132. (1766.)?

Feathers of the face, pure white, or very pale cream color. General plumage, of a predominating pale yellowish-white, or cream color, of various shades in different specimens, sometimes nearly pure white, especially on the under parts, and always marked with brown, frequently very pale and indistinct, in the same general manner as in characteristic specimens of _B. virginianus_, var., _atlanticus_, but with the lines and stripes much less numerous and paler; tarsi and toes, nearly pure white. Size, in some specimens, quite as large as in the common variety, and the plumage with more on less of the same reddish fulvous at the bases of the feathers.

Of the specimens of this bird that we have seen, one is Dr. Hoy’s original, and another was brought from California, by Mr. Bell. The latter is the smaller, and is probably a male. Dr. Hoy’s specimen, which appears to be a large female, has the upper mandible with a more prominent lobe than is usual in specimens of this species.

Variety, _magellanicus_. Strix magellanicus. Gm., Syst. Nat., I. p. 286. (1788.) Buff. Pl. Enl., I. pl. 385. Strix nacurutu. Vieill., Nouv. Dict., VII. p. 44. (1817.) Bubo ludovicianus. Daudin, Traité d’Orn, II. p. 210?

Very similar to the common bird of eastern North America, and has all the plumage at base fulvous, very variable in color, frequently lighter than the common variety, but sometimes very dark; plumage behind the eyes, generally pale cinereous, but in some specimens more or less tinged with fulvous.

This variety inhabits, apparently, the whole of South America, and, probably, also southern North America.

Dimensions. _Female._—Total length, 22 to 25 inches; wing 15 to 16; tail, 10 inches. _Male_, total length, 19 to 21 inches; wing, 14 to 15; tail, 9 inches. The western and southern varieties producing smaller specimens than the eastern and northern.

Hab. The whole of North America, western South America; Hudson’s Bay (Richardson); Canada (Dr. Hall); Wisconsin (Dr. Hoy); Washington territory (Dr. Cooper); Minnesota (Mr. Pratten); Vermont (Mr. Thompson); Oregon (Dr. Townsend); California (Dr. Heermann); Texas (Mr. Schott); Indian territory (Dr. Woodhouse); Mexico (Lieut. Couch). Breeds in Pennsylvania and northward. Spec. in Mus. Acad., Philada.

Obs. With numerous specimens before us from various parts of America, we are unable to recognise any differences sufficient to establish specific distinctions, and we have therefore provisionally designated the above four varieties. All of them vary considerably in shade of color in different specimens.

This is the largest owl of North America, except one, the Great Cinereous Owl (_Syrnium cinereum_) and, like several other species of large birds, retreats before the progress of the settlement of the country. Formerly abundant, it is now comparatively rare in the more thickly populated states, and appears almost entirely as a wanderer in winter.

Specimens are not frequently seen so dark nor so large as represented in Mr. Audubon’s plate.

II. GENUS SCOPS. Savigny, Nat. Hist. Egypt, I. p. 105. (1809.)

EPHIALTES. Keyserling and Blasius, Wirbelth. Eur. p. 33. (1840.)

Size, small; head, large, with conspicuous ear-tufts; facial disc, imperfect above the eyes; bill, short, curved, nearly covered by projecting feathers; wings, long; tail, short, and generally slightly curved inwards; tarsi, rather long, and more or less covered; toes, long, partially covered with hair-like feathers; claws, rather long, curved, strong. General form short and compact. A genus containing about twenty-five species of small Owls of all parts of the world, except Australia.

1. Scops asio. (Linn.) The Mottled Owl. The Red Owl. The Screech Owl. Strix asio. Linn. Syst. Nat., I. p. 132. (1766.) Strix nævia. Gm., Syst. Nat., I. p. 289. (1788.) Bubo striatus. Vieill., Ois d’Am. Sept., I. p. 54. (1807.)

Catesby’s Carolina, I. pl. 7. Vieill., Ois. d’Am. Sept., I. pl. 21. Temm., Pl. Col. 80. Wilson, Am. Orn., pl. 19, fig. 1.; pl. 42, fig. 1. Aud., B. of Am., pl. 97. Oct. ed., I. pl. 40. Nat. Hist. N. Y., pl. 12, figs. 25, 26.

Short and compact; head, large; ear-tufts, prominent; wing, with the fourth quill slightly longest; tail, short, somewhat curved inwards; tarsi, long, fully clothed with feathers; toes, hairy. Adult. Entire plumage above, pale ashy-brown, nearly every feather with a longitudinal line, or stripe of dark brown, nearly black, and irregularly mottled, and with irregular transverse lines of brown, more or less tinged with ashy. Under parts, ashy-white, every feather with a longitudinal stripe of brownish black and with transverse lines of the same color; face and throat and tarsi ashy-white, irregularly lined and mottled with pale brownish; quills, brown, with transverse bands, nearly white on the outer webs, and pale ashy brown on their inner webs; tail, pale ashy-brown, with about ten transverse narrow bands of pale cinereous with a tinge of reddish; under wing-coverts, white, the larger tipped with black; bill and claws, light horn-color; irides, yellow. Younger. Entire upper parts, pale brownish-red, some feathers, especially on the head and scapulars, having longitudinal lines of brownish-black; under parts, white, some feathers with longitudinal stripes and lines of reddish-brown; feathers before the eyes, throat, under wing-coverts, and tarsi, white, frequently with a tinge of reddish; quills, reddish-brown, with transverse bands rufous on the outer webs, ashy on their inner; tail, rufous, with brown bands deeper on the inner webs. Young. Upper parts, except the head, rufous; head and entire under parts transversely striped with ashy-white and pale brown. Very Young. Entire plumage transversely striped with ashy-white and pale brown, tinged with rufous on the wings and tail; white nearly pure on under surface of the body.

Dimensions. Total length, 9½; to 10 inches; wing, 7; tail, 3½ inches. Male but slightly smaller.

Hab. The whole of North America; Greenland (Fabricius); Canada (Dr. Hall); Minnesota (Mr. Pratten); Ohio (Prof. Kirtland); Oregon (Dr. Townsend); California (Dr. Heermann); Long Island (Mr. Giraud); South Carolina (Prof. Gibbes); Indian Territory (Dr. Woodhouse). Breeds in Pennsylvania. Spec. in Mus. Acad., Philada.

Obs. This is one of the most abundant of the Owls inhabiting the States on the Atlantic seaboard. It presents two constant varieties of plumage, which have been regarded as distinct species; the mottled or gray described above as the adult, and the red described as younger. These two varieties appear to be very similar to those of the European _Syrnium aluco_, and to some other species.

The Rev. Dr. Bachman, of Charleston, S. C., has fully established the identity of the two, and we have fully confirmed the accuracy of his observations (in Aud. Orn. Biog., V. p. 392). The young birds, as stated by him, are red when fully feathered, or nearly so; but we have observed that previously they are transversely striped with brown and white, with but little tinge of red, and presenting a general appearance somewhat like the adult mottled bird. They pair and breed in the red plumage, and it is not unusual to find a mottled male and red female associated, or the reverse. According to Dr. Bachman, the perfect plumage is assumed at the age of two years. Intermediate specimens, impossible to be referred absolutely to either of the plumages, are not uncommon.

This bird holds its place throughout the country in spite of the constant destruction of the woodlands; and though universally known and scarcely regarded favorably by our people, is seldom molested. Its food is principally insects.

2. Scops McCallii. Cassin. _New species._ (July, 1854.) The Western Mottled Owl.

In form and general appearance like the preceding (_S. asio_), but much smaller; short and robust; wing with the fourth quill longest; tail short, slightly curved inwards; tarsi rather long, fully covered; toes partially covered with long hair-like feathers. Adult. _Male._—Much resembling in color the adult of the species immediately preceding, but darker; entire plumage above, ashy-brown, nearly every feather with a longitudinal stripe of brownish-black, and with numerous irregular transverse lines and points of the same; under parts, ashy-white, every feather with a longitudinal stripe of brownish-black, and with well-defined but irregular transverse lines of the same; flanks and sides tinged with pale fulvous; quills brown, with several transverse bands of pale reddish-white, assuming the form of quadrangular spots on the outer webs, and pale reddish ashy on the inner webs; tail, ashy-brown, with about ten narrow transverse bands on all except the two central feathers, well defined on the inner webs; scapular feathers and some of the greater coverts of the wings, edged with white; bill greenish horn-color, light yellowish at the tip; irides, yellow.

Dimensions. Total length, 7½ to 8 inches; wing, 6; tail, 3 inches. _Male._

Hab. Texas (Mr. Schott); Northern Mexico (Lieut. Couch). Spec. in Mus. Acad., Philada., and Nat. Mus., Washington city.

Obs. This species very considerably resembles the adult or grey plumage of the _Scops asio_, but is uniformly much smaller and darker in color. The transverse lines on the under surface of the body are better defined and more numerous. It also somewhat resembles _Scops choliba_ of South America, under which name we suppose the female of the present bird to be alluded to by Mr. Lawrence, in Annals N. Y. Lyceum, VI. p. 4.

This interesting species we have taken the liberty of dedicating to our esteemed friend, Col. McCall, as a slight memento of long-continued and unbroken friendship, and in testimony of our high appreciation of him as a naturalist, who has contributed much of interest and importance, especially to the ornithology of Western America.

III. GENUS OTUS. Cuvier, Regne Animal, I. p. 327. (1817.)

Head moderate, furnished with erectile ear-tufts, varying in size in different species; bill rather short, nearly concealed by projecting bristle-like feathers, curved from the base; facial disc more perfect than in the two preceding genera; wings rather long, with the second and third quills longest; tail moderate; legs long; tarsi and toes densely covered with feathers; claws long, curved, very acute; eyes rather small, and surrounded by radiating feathers; facial disc nearly perfect. Contains about ten species of various parts of the world.

1. Otus Wilsonianus. Lesson, Traité d’Orn., I. p. 110. (1831.) The long-eared Owl. Otus americanus. Bonap., Comp. List., p. 7. (1838.) Strix americana. Gm., Syst. Nat., I. p. 288. (1788)? Bonap., Cons. Av., p. 50. Strix peregrinator. Bartram, Trav., p. 289. (1790)?

Wilson, Am. Orn., VI. pl. 51, fig. 1. Aud., B. of Am., pl. 383, octavo ed., I. pl. 37. Nat. Hist. N. Y., pl. 11, fig. 24.

Ear-tufts long and conspicuous; wings long; tarsi and toes densely feathered. Adult. Entire plumage above mottled with very dark brown (nearly black), ashy-white and fulvous, the former color, brown, predominating; breast pale fulvous, every feather with a wide longitudinal stripe of brownish-black; abdomen white, every feather with a wide longitudinal stripe, and with transverse stripes of brownish-black; legs and toes pale fulvous, usually unspotted, but in some specimens with irregular transverse narrow stripes of dark brown; eye nearly encircled with black, radiating feathers of the face in front of the eye ashy-white, with minute black lines, behind the eye deep fulvous, and narrowly tipped with black; throat white; feathers of the disc tipped with black; ear-tufts brownish-black, edged with ashy-white and fulvous; quills pale fulvous at their bases, with irregular transverse bands of brown, terminating portions brown, with yellowish, ashy, irregular bands, which are mottled with brown; inferior coverts of the wings pale fulvous, in some specimens nearly white, the larger inferior coverts widely tipped with brownish-black, forming a conspicuous transverse band on the under surface of the wing; tail brown, with several irregular transverse bands of ashy fulvous, which bands are mottled as on the quills; bill and claws dark; irides yellow. Sexes probably alike at the same ages.

Dimensions. _Female._—Total length, about 15 inches; wing, 11½; tail, 6 inches. _Male._—Smaller.

Hab. Northern and Eastern North America. Breeds in Pennsylvania. Hudson’s Bay (Richardson and Swainson); Canada (Dr. Hall); Oregon (Dr. Townsend); Washington Territory (Dr. Cooper); Nebraska (Dr. Suckley); Massachusetts (Dr. Emmons); Long Island (Mr. Giraud).

Obs. This is one of the commonest species of Owls in the Northern and Eastern States on the Atlantic. It much resembles the European _Otus vulgaris_, with which American authors have generally considered it identical, but it is larger and darker colored. It is a shy and secluded species, seldom venturing far from the woods, and appears to be a constant resident in the middle and northern States.

2. Otus brachyotus. (Forster.) The Short-eared Owl. The Marsh Owl. Strix brachyotos. Forster, Philos. Trans. London, LXII. p. 384. (1772.) Brachyotus palustris americanus. Bonap., Cons. Av., p. 51. (1849.) Otus galapagoensis. Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc., London, 1837, p. 10?

Wilson, Am. Orn., IV. pl. 33, fig. 3. Aud., B. of Am., pl. 410; Oct. ed., I. pl. 38. Nat. Hist. N. Y. Birds, pl. 12, fig. 27.