Richardson's owl. 159 



RICHARDSON'S OWL. 



Nyctala tengmalmi richardsoni. 



Richardson's Owl is a boreal species inhabiting- jSTorth America from 

 the limit of trees south to the northern tier of States. It is merely a geo- 

 graphical race of Tengmalm's Owl, which inhabits the pine belt of the 

 northern portion of the Eastern Hemisphere. Although the lattej^ bird 

 is said to breed in the Alps and Carpathians, it is accidental in the 

 British Isles and is a rare winter visitant to Holland, Germany, and 

 central Russia. It is extremely doubtful wliether the American bird 

 is ever other than a winter visitor within the limits of the United States. 

 One or two specimens have been taken in winter as far south as Con- 

 necticut and Rhode Island, and on the west coast it is very rare as far 

 south as Oregon. From this it will be seen that it differs materially 

 from the more arctic Snowy Owl, Mhich occasionally extends south in 

 winter as far as the central United States. 



The food, according to the published accounts, which are mostly gen- 

 eral, consists of mice, insects, and small birds. In the vicinity of Fort 

 Simpson, Mr. Ross stated that it i^roduced sad havoc among the flocks 

 of linnets. Mr. H. W. Wheelwright in Scandinavia one night shot a 

 female in full chase of a lemming on a frozen lake. Undoubtedly, like 

 the other small Owls, it feeds largely on small rodents and insects, and 

 when these are scarce depends on small birds for sustenance. 



It is common throughout northern Alaska wherever trees or large 

 bushes occur to aflfotd it shelter. It breeds in hollows of trees as well 

 as in the deserted nests of other birds. It is very j)artial to the old 

 holes of the i:)ileated woodpecker (Ceophlceus), which seem to be just the 

 size and shape to suit its fancy. 



At the mouth of the Yukon, where there are no trees, Mr. E. \V. 

 Nelson says the eggs are deposited in oldjiests found in bushes. The 

 eggs, which are from three to five in number, are deposited from the first 

 of May to early in June, according to the latitude of the nesting ground. 



Richardson's Owl is noc-turimUnit^habit^^rfimainiug- quiet during the 

 day in the thick foliage of the trees or bushes. In fact, its vision is appa- 

 rently so aftected by bright light that many specimens have been cap- 

 tured alive by persons walking up and taking them in their hands. On 

 this account the Eskimo in Alaska have given it the name of ' blind one.' 



The song of this Owl, according to Dr. Mei-riam (Bull. Nuttall 

 Ornith. Club, vol. vii, 1882, p. 237), is a low, liquid note that resem- 

 bles the sound produced by water slowly dropping from a height. 



DESCRIPTION. 



No ear-tufts; wings 6.50 inches (165""") or more; tail more than 4 

 inches (102"'"'); legs and feet usually l)ufty, more or less spotted with 

 brown; feathers covering under base of tail, striped with brown. 



Length: to 12 inches (228 to 305'""'); wing ({.00 to 7.10 inches (]()7 

 to 187'"'"); tail 1.10 to 1.70 inches (103 to 119'""'). 



