American Long-eared Owl 197 



The Barn-Owl is the most distinctively nocturnal 

 of its tribe, and spends the day in a hollow tree, a dark 

 nook or crevice, or often in barns or outhouses. It never 

 hoots, but sometimes utters a harsh scream or makes 

 a loud snoring noise. The nest is placed in cavities 

 of trees, holes in banks and among rocks, or often, when 

 these are available, in towers, buildings or barns. The 

 eggs are often laid on an accumulation of debris, and 

 little or no regular nest is made. They are usually 

 four to seven in number, ovate, dead white, and measure 

 1-65 X 1-25. 



Family STRIGID^. 

 This family, containing all the other Owls, has no 

 serration on the claw of the middle toe, which is always 

 longer than the inner one ; the sternum is always notched 

 once or twice on each side behind, and is never joined 

 to the furculum, which is often defective or rudimentary. 



Genus ASIO. 



Bill rather weak ; cere somewhat inflated with the nostrils at the 

 edge ; facial disk circular and well develoiJed ; ear-tufts present ; 

 wings long ; tail about haK the length of the wing ; legs feathered to 

 the claws ; ear-openings very large, asymmetrical and provided with 

 a movable operculum for their whole length. 



An almost cosmopoUtan genus with about twelve species ; only 

 two in the United States. 



A. Ear-tufts long, over an inch. A. wilsonianus, p. 197. 



B. Ear-tufts small and inconspicuous, under an inch. 



A. flammeus, p. 199. 



American Long-eared Owl. Asio wilsonianus. 



A.O.U. CheckUst no 366— Colorado Records— Baird 54, p. 12 ; 58, 

 p. 53 ; Drew 81, p. 141 ; 85, p. 17 ; Allen & Brewster 83, p. 197 ; 

 Dille 86, p. 15 ; 03, p. 74 ; Morrison 87, p. 107 ; 88, p. 115 ; 89, p. 66 ; 

 Cooke 97, pp. 77, 205 ; Henderson 03, p. 235 ; 09, p. 230 ; Warren 

 06, p. 20 ; 10, p. 31 ; Gilman 07, p. 154 ; Rockwell 08, p. 163. 



Description. — Adult — Above finely mottled dusky-brown and white 

 with a little tawny, especially about the centre of the back ; facial disk 

 yellowish-black around the eye, framed by a black Une mottled with 



