298 



MICHIGAN 13IRI) LIFE. 



HH. Under parts heavily barred, Ijut no streaks. Hawk 

 OwL No. 160. 

 BBB. Small owls, wing less than 8 inches. I, II. 



I. With prominent ear-tufts. Screech Owl. No. 156. 



II. Without ear-tufts. J, JJ. 



J. Wing less than 6 inches. Acadian Owl. No. 155. 



JJ. Wing more than 6^ inches. Richardson's Owl. No. 154. 



Family 40. ALUCONID.E. Barn Owls. 

 Only a single species in Michigan. 



149. Barn Owl. Aluco pratincola {Bonaj).). (365) 



Synonyms: American Barn Owl, Monkey-faced Owl, Monkey Owl, Wliito Owl. — 

 Strix pratincola, Bonap., 1838.— Strix flammea. Max., 1820, Wils., AikI., Nutt.— Strix 

 flammea var. americana, Coues, 1872. — Strix flammea, var. pratincola, B. 13. & R., 1875. 



Figures 77 and 78. 



Known at a glance by the light creamy-yellow color, monkey-like "face" 

 (Fig. 78), and absence of ear-tufts. The long, nearly bare shanks and 

 pectinate middle claw are also distinctive. 



Distribution. — United States, rarely to the northern border and Ontario, 

 southward through Mexico; northern limit of breeding range about 41 

 degrees. [In Michigan at least 44°.] 



This remarkable owl is a southern bird which finds its northern limit of 

 abundance near our southern boundary but probably nests within the state 

 regularly, if somewhat sparingly. 

 It would seem that within the last 

 two decades the species has become 

 much more common in Ohio and 

 northern Indiana, and it is prob- 

 able that most of the specimens 

 taken in Michigan have been reared 

 in the state. Formerly it was 

 considered an extremely rare Mich- 

 igan bird, but we now have between 

 20 and 30 records for the state, 

 and doubtless many have been 

 killed and not recorded. Most of 

 the records are for the southern 

 half of the state, but there are at 

 least two records for the neighbor- 

 hood of Saginaw, and according 

 to Mcllwraith (Birds of Ontario, 

 p. 223), two individuals were re- 

 ported as seen near Sault Ste. Marie 

 (Lat. 46° 30') by C. J. Bampton. 



An interesting breeding record 

 is furnished by Mrs. Gene Stratton- 

 Porter, of Geneva, Ind., who found a nest with young in a hollow tree 



Fig. 77. Barn Owl. 

 Kroin mounted specimen. 



Adult. 

 (Original.) 



