TEXAS BARRED OWL 201 



Where several birds are together, sometimes in the midst of almost a perfect 

 silence, one would begin. * * * Then another would answer in the same 

 note, and perhaps several others in turn. After this note had been given by 

 several birds in succession, another would utter a call like "ah-ah-ah-who-ah," or 

 perhaps "who-ah, whack-whack-whack, who-oo-ah," which would hardly be 

 begun before others would join in successively, some uttering the first notes and 

 some the second, until it would seem as if every tree in the neighborhood held 

 one of these Owls. After a few seconds' continuance at its greatest height, this 

 racket would gradually die away until there was almost a perfect silence again, 

 which would last for a few minutes, and then the Owls would begin to call once 

 more. I have never heard anything that could equal one of these Owl concerts 

 of former days, and never expect to again. 



A good suggestion of the ordinary call notes is given by Arthur T. 

 Wayne (1910) in the words "You cook today, I cook tomorroiv." 



STRIX VARIA HELVEOLA Bangs 

 TEXAS BARRED OWL 



HABITS 



This is a pale race of the barred owl, found in south-central Texas 

 from Lee and Bexar Counties to the Gulf coast. Outram Bangs 

 (1899) says of its characters: "The Texas bird, like $. n. alleni, has 

 naked toes, but is much paler in color throughout, with all the light 

 markings more conspicuous, and the ground color above, pale yellow 

 or cinnamon, the wings and tail in particular being very pallid. The 

 differences in color between the Texas bird and true Syrnium nebu- 

 losum are almost as great as between the great horned owls of the 

 prairie regions and of the Atlantic States." 



In the heavily wooded river bottoms and lowland forests of south- 

 eastern Texas this owl seems to be nearly, if not quite, as abundant 

 and as noisy as its Florida relative is in similar situations in Florida. 

 Its nesting habits are similar and it lives on much the same kind of 

 food. It is said to be quite destructive to young poultry, where 

 these birds are in the habit of roosting in trees. The eggs are in- 

 distinguishable from those of other barred owls. The measurements 

 of 35 eggs average 49.4 by 42.4 millimeters; the eggs showing the 

 four extremes measure 53.4 by 42.7, 50.1 by 45.3, and 46.1 by 39.1 

 millimeters. 



I can find nothing peculiar in the habits or in the vocal performances 

 of this owl in any way different from those of the species as found 

 elsewhere. 



Dr. Louis B. Bishop (1931a) has named two new northern races of 

 the barred owl, a darker race (S. v. brunnescens) from northwestern 

 Minnesota, and a paler race (S. v. albescens) from Quebec; these have 

 not yet been included in the A. O. U. Check-List. 



13751—38 14 



