380 BULLETIN" 17 0, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Behavior. — The hawk owl has been well named, for in appearance 

 and habits it is said to resemble some of our smaller diurnal birds of 

 prey; its flight is swift and graceful, suggesting that of the hawks; and, 

 when it is perched on the top of some tree or stub, in broad daylight, 

 it has sometimes been mistaken for a hawk. It has also been called 

 the "day owl", because of its conspicuous diurnal habits; it probably 

 hunts more extensively by day than any of our other owls, except, 

 possibly, the short-eared and the pygmy owls. William Brewster 

 (1925) says of one that he watched fly away: "His flight over the 

 Pond was perfectly straight, exceedingly swift, and very graceful. 

 Except when set during brief intervals of gliding, his wings were beaten 

 ceaselessly and rapidly, with much the same nervous, quivering motion 

 as that characteristic of the Duck Hawk. They, with the con- 

 spicuously wedge-pointed tail, looked long and shapely as did the body 

 also, doubtless because its contour plumage was compressed by 

 friction with the air. Altogether he seemed a well-proportioned, 

 handsomely-modelled and pleasingly graceful bird when thus viewed 

 in flight, albeit no less displeasingly awkward and ungainly than the 

 first Hawk Owl, while on its perch." 



Ernest T. Seton (1890) says: "Its favorite localities appear to be 

 the half-open woods and park lands, and it is usually seen perched 

 on the top of the bushes and trees. In passing from one tree to another, 

 it commonly throws itself headlong downwards nearly to the ground, 

 along which it skims towards the next tree, aDd on nearing its goal 

 rises with a graceful aerial bound to the topmost perch offered." 

 Quoting from the manuscript of C. W. Nash, he says further: "Its 

 flight, particularly through the low bushes and scrub, closely resembles 

 that of the Sharp-shinned Hawk ; it skims along noiselessly close to the 

 ground, frequently alighting on the top of a bush, from whence it will 

 dart on a mouse or other prey. It also frequently rises high in the 

 air and hovers over the ground, remaining stationary over one place 

 for some time, exactly like a kestrel or our own Sparrow Hawk." 



The most striking feature in the behavior of the hawk owl is its 

 tameness, boldness, or utter lack of fear, perhaps largely due to its 

 lack of familiarity with human beings. It has repeatedly shown no 

 concern when closely approached and has even been captured by 

 human hands. 



Lucien M. Turner (1886) writes: "I once observed a bird of this 

 species sitting, during a bright day, on a post. I approached the bird 

 to within a few feet. It squatted, then stood up, and seemed ready 

 to fly at any moment. I went within six feet of it, and it then settled 

 down as if to take a nap. I retired and threw a stick at it to make it 

 fly. I shouted and made other noises, and only after several attempts 

 to dislodge it did it fly." 



Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway (1905) say: 



