114 



BIRDS OF AMERICA 



well protected by the harmony of its colors with 

 the bark of the tree." ( Reported in Birds of 

 Connecticut.) 



The hooting cry of Owls is perhaps as famous 

 as is the note of any bird. In fact, it is so 

 famous that uninformed or careless listeners ap- 

 ply the term " hoot owl " to any bird who has a 



1>1. ■ ■ 1 1 I, 1 ' 'lurtesy of 0\v 



GREAT HORNED OWL 



When huJdled up on the nest attending to incubation duties its 

 resemblance to a cat is very maiked 



hooting call. As a result such persons often con- 

 fuse two or more distinct species, especially the 

 Great Horned Owl and the Barred Owl, though 

 there is a marked difTerence between the hoots of 

 these two birds, that of the Great Horned being 

 much the stronger and more characteristic. This 

 bird also has a series of yelps, not unlike those 

 of a dog, and a catlike squall, to which may be 



due one of its popular names, " Cat Owl," though 

 the appearance of the bird's head with its con- 

 spicuous ear-tufts is not unlike that of a cat. 



The " oot-too-hoo, hoo-hoo " call, with the 

 syllables variously divided and differently ac- 

 cented is, however, the characteristic utterance 

 of this remarkable and interesting bird. Some- 

 times, when heard at a distance, the audible 

 notes, two long ones followed by two short ones, 

 strongly suggest the warning which a locomotive 

 engineer sounds with his whistle when he ap- 

 proaches a crossing. Usually the cry, like that 

 of most Owls and of the night-birds generally, 

 has an uncanny and weird significance, in which 

 are blended distinct suggestions of threat, de- 

 fiance, and scorn, as befits the fearless and 

 savage nature of this veritable " tiger of the air." 



George Gladden. 



The name of the genus to which the Great 

 Horned Owl belongs is Bubo, which is Latin for 

 Eagle-Owl. This genus has seven other repre- 

 sentatives in North America. The Western, or 

 Pallid, Horned Owl {Bubo virginianns palles- 

 cens) is similar to the Great Horned but smaller 

 and lighter. It is found in western North 

 America (exclusive of the high mountains) from 

 eastern Oregon, Montana, and Minnesota south 

 to southeastern California, Arizona, New 

 Mexico, western Texas, and northeastern 

 Mexico. 



The Pacific, or California, Horned Owl {Bubo 

 virginianus pacificus) is found in the interior of 

 California, north to south-central Oregon, and 

 east to San Francisco Mountain, western Ari- 

 zona. It is slightly smaller than the Western 

 Horned Owl, generally darker, the feet more 

 heavily mottled with dusky, and the face usually 

 with more decided tinge of tawny. 



The Dwarf Horned Owl {Bubo virginianus 

 elachistus) occurs in southern Lower California ; 

 it is similar in coloration to the Pacific Horned 

 Owl but nuich smaller. 



The Dusky Horned Owl {Bubo virginianus 

 satiiratus) is similar to the Pacific Horned Owl 

 but much darker, especially the upper parts ; it 

 is found from the interior of Alaska south along 

 the coast to south-central California, and in the 

 Rocky Mountains to Arizona and New Mexico. 



The Arctic Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus 

 subarcticus or Bubo virginianus wapacuthu) is 

 paler than the Western Horned Owl, the upper 

 parts with much more of white and less of black, 

 the under parts less heavily barred, and the feet 

 paler, usually immaculate bufl or buffy white. 



