LONG-EARED OWL 161 



owls have a brood of young to feed and when mice are not sufficiently 

 abundant to fill their requirements. As additional evidence on this 

 point, we have the report by F. M. Jones (1934) that a lot of pellets, 

 collected early in summer under a nesting tree in Pennsylvania, con- 

 tained the remains of 46 birds and 45 mammals; but he says that two 

 young owls that he kept for several months in captivity "would 

 invariably eat the mice first if given both mice and English Sparrows 

 or Starlings, and should there be sufficient mice to satisfy their appe- 

 tites, they would not eat the birds at all." 



Dr. George M. Sutton (1926) has reported the killing of two ruffed 

 grouse by a long-eared owl. It seems remarkable that this light- 

 weight owl could attack and kill a bird so much heavier than itself, 

 but the evidence seems convincing that the owl killed and partially ate 

 the grouse. 



Various species of mice make up the bulk of the long-eared owl's 

 food; other mammals included are various rats, including the destruc- 

 tive Norway rat, shrews, moles, squirrels, chipmunks, pocket gophers, 

 bats, and young rabbits. The list of birds is a long one, but in the 

 aggregate it constitutes but a small part of the total food ; it includes 

 one quail, two ruffed grouse, and one mourning dove, as exceptionally 

 large birds; the birds oftenest taken are the various species of sparrows, 

 but red-winged blackbird, horned lark, meadowlark, cardinal, towhees, 

 juncos, goldfinches, warblers, kinglets, thrushes, bluebirds, scarlet 

 tanager, and brown thrasher have also been recorded in the food of this 

 owl. Beetles and various other insects, frogs, and an occasional small 

 snake have been eaten by it. 



Grinnell and Storer (1924) write: "Hunting almost exclusively at 

 night, this owl does not capture many birds. The Spurred Towhec 

 here recorded as being captured is notable for being especially active 

 at dusk, just when the Long-eared Owl begins its nightly forays. 

 The Long-eared Owl, although roosting and nesting in dense thickets, 

 does its foraging in the open, and small birds are not as available there, 

 at least at night, as they are in the trees and bushes through which 

 certain other species of owls, known to capture birds, are wont to hunt. 

 The meadow mice and gophers are most active in the early hours of 

 the night, when presumably this owl does most of its foraging." 



Behavior. — The long-eared owl is normally so inactive and retiring 

 during the daytime that we have learned very little about its behavior, 

 except what we have seen of it when its nest or brood of young is dis- 

 turbed. Here its behavior is quite variable and often exceedingly 

 interesting and spectacular. I know of no bird that is bolder or more 

 demonstrative in the defense of its young, or one that can threaten 

 the intruder with more grotesque performances or more weird and 

 varied cries. But the full performance is not always seen; it is seen at 

 its best when there are young to be protected. At the first nest that I 



