Order Jtrigirormes 



Barn Owls: Family Tytonidae 



Barn Owl: 



Tyto alba fratincola (Bonaparte) 



DESCRIPTION. "Wings long, pointed, folding beyond tail; tail short, about half as 

 long as wing; tarsus nearly twice as long as middle toe without claw, closely 

 feathered above, slightly feathered and bristly below, as on toes; feathers of back 

 of tarsus pointing upward; inner toe as long as middle toe; inner edge of middle 

 claw pectinated. Facial disk pure white to tawny; under parts pure white to yellow- 

 ish brown, dotted with triangular brown or blackish spots; upper parts yellowish 

 brown, more or less overlaid with mottled gray, finely streaked with black and 

 white; wings and tail with a few dusky bands. Length: 14.75-18.00, wing 11.50- 

 14.00, tail 5.50-7.50, bill .90-1.00." (Bailey) Nest: In hollow trees and old build- 

 ings or on cliffs where eggs are usually laid on accumulated debris. Eggs: 3 to 6, 

 white. 



DISTRIBUTION. General: Breeds from Oregon, Colorado, Nebraska, Illinois, Great 

 Lakes, and southern New England south to Central America. In Oregon: Uncommon 

 permanent resident, likely to be found in any part of State but probably most com- 

 mon in western Oregon. 



CASSIN (1856) first credited the Barn Owl (Plates 57 and 58) to Oregon. 

 Newberry (1857) found it an uncommon species in the Klamath Basin. 

 Woodcock (1902.) reported it from Scio, Haines (Baker County), and 

 Corvallis. Finley (i9o6c) found it at Portland. Shelton (1917) listed 

 specimens from Eugene, the mouth of the Siuslaw River, and Diamond 

 Peak, the latter a surprising place to find this owl. We have seen speci- 

 mens from Benton (4), Multnomah (2.), and Umatilla (i) Counties and 

 have seen it in Tillamook, Klamath, and Wallowa Counties. These 

 records are scattered throughout the year. The Barn Owl undoubtedly 

 breeds sparingly in this State. The only definite nesting records are 

 Patterson's two dates of April 2.0 and 2.4, 192.4, in southern Oregon. The 

 birds seem to be most numerous in the southern Willamette Valley, 

 where Gabrielson has repeatedly seen them in barns on farms south of 

 Corvallis. The farmers there protect them as they value highly their 

 services as rat and gopher catchers. 



