I02 



BIRDS OF AMERICA 



ochraceoiis-white or dull buffy-white, the eyes broadly 

 encircled with black ; facial rim minutely speckled with 

 pale ochraceous or buffy and blackish, except imme- 

 diately behind ear, where uniform blackish : under 

 wing-coverts, immaculate pale buff to white, the ter- 

 minal half of under primary coverts, plain blackish- 

 brown (forming a conspicuous spot); under surface 

 of primaries for greater part, immaculate buffy-white, 

 but terminal portion, and preceding this, one or two 

 very broad bands, dusky ; bill, blackish ; iris, bright 

 lemon-yellow. Young : Above, dark sooty-brown, the 

 feathers broadly tipped with ochraecous-buff ; face, uni- 

 form brownish-black; under parts, plain pale dull ochra- 

 ceous or buffy, tinged forward with smoky-grayish. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest: Placed on the ground of 

 marshy levels, beneath bushes, grass clumps, or in a 



slight depression; a carelessly constructed affair of a 

 few sticks and grass, lined with finer grass and 

 some feathers of the parent bird. Eggs : 4 to 7, white, 

 unspotted. 



Distribution. — The whole of continental North and 

 South America, from coast of Arctic Ocean to Pata- 

 gonia, also Tierra del Fuego, Falkland Islands, and Juan 

 Fernandez and Mas-a-tierra islands, off Chile ; breeding, 

 locally, nearly throughout its range except in more 

 southern portions of eastern United States, where not 

 ascertained to breed south of Massachusetts, northern 

 Ohio, northern Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, and Colo- 

 rado; winters practically throughout United States and 

 in Cuba ; also found throughout Europe and northern 

 .'\sia and other portions of the eastern hemisphere 

 except Australia. 



Marshes and bogs are the preferred habitat of 

 this small and rather stupid Owl, the Short- 

 eared, and the bird is seldom seen perched in a 

 tree. It is also un-Owl-like in that in cloudy or 

 foggy weather it may do considerable hunting 

 during the day. Seen under such conditions, 

 skimming along near the ground, the bird's long 

 wings make it appear much larger than it is. 



Another of this Owl's peculiarities is its gre- 

 garious instinct, as manifested in winter and dur- 

 ing the migration period. Then it is likely to 

 gather in colonies or flocks of a hundred or more 

 individuals, some of which probably have come 

 from the bird's northern range. 



Though this Owl's ear-tufts are smaller than 

 are those of the Long-eared species, the bird's 



Photograph by H. K. Job 



NEST OF SHORT-EARED OWL 

 Nine young, all sizes, and feathers and remains of prey 



