26 



STRIGID^E. 



N. & C. Europe 

 and Siberia. 



Arctic. 



N. Europe and 

 Asia. 



C. & S. Europe, 

 Asia Minor, 

 wintering in 

 Africa. 



145. LONG-EARED OWL. Asio otus (Linnaeus). Sylvan. Resident. 



Facial disk complete; ear-tufts very long, equal to hind toe and ' 

 claw; operculurn semicircular; iris orange. General colour orange--! 

 buff ; above mottled with blackish brown, below streaked and faintly 

 barred with brown. Length 14 inches. 



146. SHORT-EARED OWL. Asio accipitrinus (Pallas). Not sylvan. 

 Autumn to spring ; but breeds in a few marshy or moorland localities. "\ 



Disk and operculuin like last ; ear-tufts very short. 

 Above tawny, each feather with dark brown down the centre ; below/ 

 buff, streaked with blackish brown ; iris yellow. 



Length 14-16| inches. 



147. TAWNY or BROWN OWL. Syrnium aluco (Linnaeus). Sylvan. 

 Resident in Great Britain ; not yet observed in Ireland. 



Facial disk complete ; no tufts ; operculum large ; toes feathered ; 

 iris blackish. 



Two phases of the plumage occur: the grey and rufous. Length 

 18-19 inches. 



148. TENGMALM'S OWL. Nyctala tengmalmi (J. F. Gmelin). Rare 

 wanderer to England ; twice in Scotland : not yet in Ireland. 



Disk nearly complete ; tuftless ; ears with operculum, of unequal 

 size on either side, i. e. not symmetrical ; toes feathered to the claws. 



Above brown, spotted on the head and blotched on the back with 

 white ; below greyish white, spotted and barred with rufous brown ; 

 tail brown, crossed with five white bars. 



Length 9-10 inches. 



149. SNOWY OWL. Nyctea scandiaca (Linnaeus). Winter straggler to 

 Great Britain and Ireland, chiefly to the northern districts. 



Facial disk incomplete ; no operculum ; tufts above eyes rarely 

 visible ; feet covered to the claws with long feathers. 



White, or white with blackish-brown spots or bars, varyiDg much in 

 number of these markings ; younger birds most marked ; iris yellow. 

 Length 21-26 inches. 



150. HAWK-OWL. Surnia ulula (Linnaeus). Very rare straggler. 



Facial disk nearly obsolete; tuftless; no operculum. 



Above dark brown, spotted with white ; underparts with numerous 

 small narrow dark-brown bars. Tail long and graduated, narrowly 

 barred and tipped with white. Feet feathered to the claws ; iris light 

 yellow. Length 14 inches. 



The American form, S. funerea, which has chiefly occurred, has 

 broad chestnut bars on the breast and belly. 



151. SCOPS OWL. Scops giu (Scopoli). Sylvan. Rare straggler on 

 migration to England and Ireland ; doubtfully in Scotland. 



Facial disk incomplete above eyes ; tufted ; no operculum. General 

 colour grey, with minute marks of brown and spots of dark brown. 

 Legs feathered ; toes bare. Iris yellow. Length 8^-10 inches. 



