202 Birds of Colorado 



Genus CRYPTOGLAUX. 



Resembling Strix but much smaller — wings 7 to 8 — and with both 

 skull and ear-openings highly asymmetrical ; the ear-openings very 

 large and operculate ; legs densely feathered to the bases of the claws. 



Two species are recognized ; one of circimipolar distribution with an 

 American subsjiecies, the other confined to North America. 



A. Larger — wing 7 ; bill yellow ; head spotted with white. 



C. f. richardsoni, p. 202. 



B. Smaller — wing under 6 ; bill black ; crown with white shaft- 



lines. C. acadicus, p. 202. 



Richardson's Owl. Cryptoglaux funerea richardsoni. 



A.O.U. CheckHst no 371— Colorado Record— Cooke 97, pp. 160, 205. 



Description. — Above chocolate-brown spotted with white ; spots small 

 and profuse on top of the head, on the nape larger and almost forming 

 a nuchal collar, on the back and wing-coverts large and sparse ; below 

 whitish, heavily and somewhat confusedly streaked with dark brown ; 

 flanks and feet buffy, more or less spotted with bro^vn ; facial disk 

 whitish, black round the eye ; iris and bill yellow. Length 1 1 ; wing 7 ; 

 tail 4'5 ; tarsus l-O. 



A young bird is plain brown without spots except on the wings and 

 tail ; below brown, paling to yellowish-brown posteriorly ; flanks 

 slightly spotted ; facial disk dark, with a white superciliary and malar 

 streak. 



Distribution. — Breeding north of the United States border up to the 

 limit of trees ; south in winter to Oregon, Colorado and New England. 

 Only two instances of its occurrence are known in Colorado. Mr. H. C. 

 Lee Meyer took a male at Crested Butte in October, 1896, which was 

 identified by Cooke, and there is an example in the Carter collection 

 obtained at Breckenridge, December 28th, 1882. It may be considered 

 a rare winter visitor in the mountainous part of the State. 



Saw-whet Owl. Cryptoglaux acadica. 



A.O.U. Checkhst no 372 — Colorado Records — Ridgway 79, p. 232 ; 

 Morrison 89, p. 66 ; Bendire 92, p. 350 ; Cooke 94, p. 183 ; 97, pp. 77, 

 205 ; H. G. Smith 96, p. 76 ; Henderson 03, p. 235 ; 09, p. 230. 



Description. — Above sepia-brown, the crown with white shaft-lines, 

 the nape and back with white bases to the feathers ; the wings and tail 

 regularly spotted, those on the tail forming two incomplete cross-bands 

 of wliito ; below white, streaked a lighter tawny-brown ; facial disk 

 whitish, black round the eye ; iris yellow, bill and claws black. Length 

 7-5 ; wing 5-25 ; tail 2-9 ; cuhnen -6 ; tarsus 1-1. 



