98 Baby Birds at Home 



very active in the evening in pursuit of 

 moths, beetles, cockchafers and other winged 

 creatures upon which it feeds. 



It makes a peculiar "chuning" sound 

 at night time — a sound which the young 

 naturalist is never likely to forget once he 

 or she has heard it, and is in consequence 

 known to many country people as the 

 "Churn" Owl. It also utters another note 

 sounding something like " co-ic, co-ic!' When 

 disturbed whilst covering its young ones, 

 and especially towards evening, the Fern 

 Owl will fly round making its wings meet 

 with a resounding thwack over its back, or 

 alighting on a stump not far off, will open 

 its great mouth in a way that is plainly 

 meant to be threatening. 



This bird does not make a nest, but lays its 

 pair of greyish white eggs, marked with dark 

 brown and leaden grey, on the bare ground. 



The young ones are covered with grey 

 down, and if disturbed are shifted by their 

 mother. Whilst crouching on the ground, 

 even in the open, they are sometimes very 

 difficult to see, on account of the colour of 

 the down on their bodies matching that of 

 their surroundings. 



