198 Birds of Colorado 



white ; ear-tufts long, over an inch, and conspicuous ; quills barred 

 brown and mottled grey, which becomes tawny basally ; tail also 

 barred ; below confusedly marked with brown, white and tawny with 

 irregular streaks and bars ; almost plain ta^^Tiy on the feet and under 

 tail-coverts ; iris yellow, bill and claws blackish. Length IS-o ; wing 

 11 -5; tail 6-0 ; culmen l-O ; tarsus 1*5. Variable in size, but the female 

 averages a little larger. 



Distribution. — North America from Hudson Bay and Mackenzie 

 south over the whole of the United States to the Mexican tableland. 

 The Long-eared Owl is one of the commonest resident Owls in Colorado, 

 breeding from the plains up to about 10,000 or 11,000 feet, and winter- 

 ing also in the plains and mountains. It has been reported from Weld 

 CO. (Dille) to Baca co. (Warren) in the eastern plains ; from the 

 mountains of Boulder co. (Gale) to the San Luis Valley (Baird & 

 Warren) in the mountains and parks, and from Mesa co. (Rockwell) 

 to La Plata co. (Morrison) on the western slope, and probably breeds 

 throughout. 



Habits. — The Long-eared Owl is a thoroughly nocturnal 

 species, hunting only at night and keeping quiet in 

 retired nooks by day, so that it is seldom noticed. Its 

 food consists almost entirely of small rodents, chiefly 

 field-mice, and it is a most beneficial species and should 

 never be destroyed. It is rather silent for an Owl, but 

 has a gentle hoot in the spring time ; if disturbed when 

 nesting it generally makes a chattering, snapping noise 

 with its mandibles, and it also gives a mournful cry. 

 Its favourite resort in Colorado is in the thickets of 

 willows along the creek bottoms. 



Morrison, Dille (86) and Gale give good accounts of 

 the nesting-habits. It seldom builds a nest for itself, 

 generally using in Colorado an old Magpie's nest, tearing 

 off the dome and adding a little grass and feathers for 

 a lining. It also makes use of Crows' or Hawks' nests, 

 and occasionally builds one for itself. The eggs are laid 

 from about April 15th to May 15th. Fresh eggs found 

 later than this are a second laying, due to the loss of 

 the first. Morrison noticed that four to six eggs were 

 the rule at low elevations, three at about 8,500 feet. 



