OWLS 



'17 



black on hiiuliieck and crown, lighter and more grayish- 

 brown behind, each feather of crown with a central 

 small spot of white, those on forehead more circular, 

 those on back of head more linear, as well as less 

 numerous, the hindncck with larger V-shaped or wedge- 

 shaped spots, streaks, or bars of white; a narrow 

 streak of brownish-black from above middle of eye 

 backward along upper edge of ears, where it bends 

 abruptly downward across terminal portion of the 

 latter; confluent with this at about the middle of its 

 vertical portion is another but broader blackish stripe 

 which passes down side of hindneck, and another 

 passes from back of head down center line of hindneck; 

 between these black stripes a whitish area ; back, plain 

 brown; a conspicuous elongated patch of white immedi- 

 ately above wing; rump with sparse, transverse, spots 

 of white, the upper tail-coverts with broader and more 

 regular bars of same, about equal to the brown ones in 

 width ; outermost middle and greater wing-coverts with 

 an ovoid spot of white on outer webs; secondaries 

 crossed by about three series of ovoid spots of white 

 (on edges) and very narrowly tipped with white; 

 outermost primary coverts with one or two series of 

 white spots; primaries with about 7 series of white 

 spots, all the primaries margined at tips with white; tail, 

 crossed by seven or eight very narrow bands of white 

 (the last one terminal), these bands becoming less 

 distinct (sometimes obsolete) on lateral feathers; "eye- 

 brow," lores, and face, grayish-white, the grayish 

 appearance caused by black shafts to the feathers, the 

 grayish-white of face continued across lower part of 

 throat, separating a large space of dark brown from an 

 indistinct brown collar across upper chest, this collar 

 confluent with the lower end of the black bands on the 



head; ground color of under parts, white, everywhere 

 barred with chestnut-brown or burnt-umber, the bars 

 sharply defined, averaging rather more than half as 

 wide as the white interspaces, except on upper chest, 

 where the white is so much in excess as to form a 

 broken patch, below which the brown bars are broader, 

 and somewhat coalesced ; on legs and toes the bars 

 narrower, more sparse, and less regular; bill, yellowish; 

 iris, lemon-yellow. YoL'Nc;: Upper parts, dark sooty- 

 brown or sepia, the feathers of crown and hindneck 

 tipped with dull grayish-butT, which forms the predomi- 

 nating color; feathers of shoulders and of the space 

 between indistinctly tipiied with dull grayish-buff; lores 

 and sides of head, plain brovvnisli-hlack, the rest of 

 face, dull whitish; under i)arts, dull whitish, deeply 

 shaded across chest with dark sooty brownish, the other 

 portions being broadly but rather indistinctly barred 

 with brown, these markings narrower and more con- 

 fused toward the front and on the legs. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest: In an abandoned Wood- 

 pecker hole, natural cavities, sometimes on rocks or 

 stumps, or in old nests of other birds, relined with 

 feathers and moss. Eccs : 3 to 7, white. 



Distribution. — Northern North America ; breeding 

 northward to limit of trees in Alaska, Yukon, Mac- 

 kenzie, Keewatin, and Ungava, southward to Labrador; 

 Newfoundland ( ?), central Alberta, Montana 

 (casually?), and southern British Columbia; winters, 

 regularly, southward as far as Massachusetts, Rhode 

 Island, eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, 

 southern Ontario, Ohio, southeastern Indiana, Michigan, 

 southern Wisconsin, northern Illinois, Minnesota, 

 Missouri, Nebraska, and Washington; accidental in 

 Bermuda (?) and in British Isles. 



Like thf .Snowy Owl, the Hawk Owl is a 

 winter visitor to otir Northern States from the 

 Arctic regions, where, also like his big white 

 cousin, he has learned to hunt effectively in broad 

 daylight. He is likely to be seen in the latitude 

 of the northern third of Michigan from about 

 the last week of October until about the first of 

 February, when he begins to move toward his 

 northward range, several weeks ahead of the 

 Snowy Owl. 



The Hawk Owl is of much less frequent oc- 

 currence in its southern range than is the Snowy, 

 but like the latter species it sometimes, and for 

 no apparent reason, appears in tinusual numbers. 

 One of these visitations, for example, occurred 

 in northern New England in October and No- 

 vember, 1884, when scores, if not hundreds, of 

 these Owls were shot. 



The bird is ap])ropriately named " Hawk " 

 Owl; not only is its appearance Hawk-like but 

 its manner of hunting is similar, in some respects, 

 to that of the Hawks, or at any rate very unlike 

 that of most of the Owls. For, besides its day- 



light hunting, the bird has the habit of perching 

 conspicuously on a dead stub, or in plain sight 

 at the top of a tree, wheiice it watches for its 

 prey with true Hawk-like alertness. When 

 frightened from such a perch, it usually swoo])s 

 downward to about the level of the undergrowth 

 and then flies rapidly to another good observa- 

 tion point, which it reaches by an abrupt upward 

 glide. Its flight, however, is entirely Owl-like in 

 its noiselessness. 



Its common note, a slirill cry, is uttered 

 usually when the bird is thus in flight. Its prey 

 includes chiefly mice, squirrels, and birds, hawked 

 for in broad daylight. 



The American Hawk Owl, as its name implies, 

 is the American representative of the European 

 Hawk Owl {Siirnia iihila iiliila). The latter is 

 found in the northern parts of the Old \\'orld 

 but casually it strays over to Alaska. It is much 

 lighter than the American species, the black and 

 brown areas being lighter and less extended and 

 the white ones more extended. In habits, how- 

 ever, the two are alike. 



