tail tipped with yellow; forehead, chin and a line 

 through eye black; wings and tail gray; secondary 

 wing feathers often with narrow red, wax-like 

 tips. 



Usually seen in small compact flocks, except in 

 summer. The common call-note is a very fine 

 high-pitched whistle. Sometimes remains through 

 the winter, when its usual food is mountain ash 

 and other tree berries. The long, slender crest 

 and yellow-tipped tail are diagnostic characters. 



OWLS 



366. Long-eared Owl — Asio ivilsonianus. 

 Length itf/k inches. 



Long ear-tufts; upperparts blackish brown, mot- 

 tled with white and buffy; tail with 6 to 8 blackish 

 bars; face buffy, bordered with black; under parts 

 white and buffy; breast broadly streaked, sides and 

 belly irregularly barred, with blackish; eyes 

 yellow. 



Not a timid owl, and often may be closely ap- 

 proached. 



367. Short-eared Owl — Asio flammeus. 

 Length 15^ inches. 



Male — Ear-tufts very small, apparently want- 

 ing. Upperparts mottled buffy, creamy and black- 

 ish; tail with alternate buffy and blackish bands; 

 underparts whitish, breast broadly and belly finely 

 streaked with blackish; eyes yellow. Female — 

 Similar; under parts rich buffy. 



A pale, rather small owl. Unlike other owls, 

 this is a bird of the open, hiding in the long grass 

 of marshy places. It rises noiselessly almost at 

 your feet and flies off low over the marsh. 



338. Barred Owl — Strix varia varia. 



Large. Length 20 inches. 



No ear-tufts; upperparts grayish brown, with 

 numerous light bars; underparts white, breast 



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