THE SCREECH OWL 209 



Measurements. Length, 8 to 10 inches ; wing, 6 to 7 inches ; tail, 3 

 to 3.50 inches. 



Range. Eastern North America from Minnesota, Ontario and 

 New Brunswick south to northeastern Texas and Georgia, and west 

 to about the 100th meridian, accidental in England. (A. O. U. Check- 

 list, 1910.) 



Without doubt the little Screech Owl is the best known of its kind 

 in Iowa. Its habit of frequenting not only the vicinity of country 

 dwellings, but also of coming into the suburbs and even at times into 

 the very centers of our larger cities, has enabled those unacquainted 

 with other owls to become familiar with this species. 



Its tremulous notes, heard most often at dusk and in the early 

 morning, and the noisy mobbing of the Screech Owl by the Blue Jays, 

 often attract the attention of the passerby. On such occasions care- 

 ful search reveals the little red or gray owl with ear tufts standing 

 erect and feathers close drawn to the body, altogether an inconspicu- 

 ous object indeed. But when the sun has set and the shadows 

 lengthen, the Screech Owls with their young fly fearlessly, and with 

 feathers fluffed, sit on the branches unafraid. % 



The two color phases of plumage, red and gray, found in this 

 species cannot be accounted for by either the age of the bird, the sex, 

 or the changing of feathers with the season of the year. Red birds 

 mate with gray birds and their broods will be part red and part gray. 

 In a family of six young taken May 21, 1915, the female parent be- 

 ing red and the male gray, there are five which show the red phase, 

 while one is distinctly gray. Of twenty-five specimens of this owl in 

 the Coe College Museum, collected chiefly in the eastern part of the 

 state, fifteen are in the red phase and ten in the gray. My observa- 

 tion of birds noted, but not collected, leads me to believe that this rep- 

 resents approximately the relative proportion of the two color phases 

 in this region. These hardy little birds are able to accommodate 

 themselves to almost any cavity ; preferring, however, the abandoned 

 nests of the Flicker or Yellow-hammer. Old apple orchards and 

 groves of maple, poplar and other soft woods are favorite resorts. 

 The eggs are deposited usually during the first half of April, and are 

 from four to six in number, white, and measure about 1.50 by 1.25 

 inches. Frequently the female will not leave the nest until actually 

 lifted from the eggs ; and in the daytime when discovered in the en- 

 trance of their homes, they usually retreat into the cavity, whereupon 

 it is sometimes possible to capture both parents by reaching into the 

 hole and drawing them out. 



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