182 



HORNED OWLS, ETC. 



3'. Wing averaging over 0.40. 



4. Dichromatic, red or brownish gray. Eastern United States. 



asio. p. 182. 

 4'. Not dichromatic, always gray. 



5. Back brownish gray. Coast region of California. 



bendirei, p. 183. 

 5'. Back clearer gray. 



Plumage light gray, narrowly and sharply streaked below 

 with black. Mexico to southern Arizona and New Mexico. 



cineraceus, p. 183. 



6'. Plumage dark gray, heavily streaked with black. South- 

 ern Colorado, northern Arizona, and New Mexico. 



aikeni. p. 184. 

 1'. Toes entirely naked to base. 



2. Throat with conspicuous band of ochraceous, lower parts lightly 



mottled idahoensis, p. 185. 



2'. Throat without distinct band of ochraceous, lower parts more heavily 

 mottled flammeola, p. 184. 



373. Megascops asio (Linn.). SCREECH OWL. 



Dichromatic ; gray or reddish brown, without regard to age, sex, or 



season ; ear tufts conspicuous ; toes thinly 

 feathered or bristly on top. Adults: gray 

 phase : upper parts dull brownish gray, with 

 shaft streaks and fine mottlings of dusky ; 

 edge of scapulars and row of spots on edge 

 of wing white or creamy ; lower parts gray- 

 ish white, with heavy shaft streaks and 

 light cross - lines of black. Red phase : 

 upper parts clear rich rufous, with a trace 

 of black shaft lines and with white scap- 

 ular streaks and spots on edge of wing ; 

 lower parts streaked and mottled with ru- 

 fous and white, and with faint black shaft 

 streaks. Young : plumage barred or banded 

 with grayish or whitish, without longitu- 

 dinal markings. Length : 7.i">0-10.00, wing 

 (5.00-7.10, tail 3.05-3.50. 



Distribution. - - Temperate eastern North 

 America, south to Georgia ; west to about 

 the 100 meridian. 



Nest. -- A hollow in a tree or old wood- 

 pecker hole, 3 to 40 feet from the ground. 

 Eggs : usually 4 or 5, white. 

 Food. Mammals, birds, reptiles, batrachians, fish, crustaceans, and 



insects. 



i'roin Biological Survey, U. S. Dept. of 

 Agriculture. 



Fig. 247. 



"The common screech owl is distributed throughout the whole of 

 the United States and the southern portions of the British Provinces. 

 It is separable into several geographic races as is usual in species 

 having such an extensive distribution. . . . Their food consists of 

 a great variety of animal life. ... At nightfall tliej- begin their 

 rounds, inspecting the vicinity of farmhouses, barns, and corncribs, 

 making trips through the orchards and nurseries, gliding silently 



