BARN OWLS 



173 



Distribution. Breeds from Hudson 

 Bay and Alaska south throughout the 

 United States and Mexico ; migrates to 

 the West Indies and northern South 

 America. 



Nest. On the ground, in trees, on 

 telegraph poles, cliffs, or deserted build- 

 ings, made of large sticks, brush, and 

 rubbish, such as weeds and cornstalks, 

 lined with softer materials like seaweed, 

 cedar bark, and corn leaves. Eggs : usu- 

 ally 3, varying greatly in size, color, and 

 markings. Ground color generally white, 

 sometimes so evenly overlaid as to ap- 

 pear buffy or vinaceous, and usually heav- 

 ily blotched with brown and wine red. 



'Food. Fish. 



4 



From Biological Sur ey, IT. S. Dept. 

 of Agriculture. 



Fig. 238. Fish Hawk. 



With almost gull-like persistency 

 the fish hawk follows the rivers and 

 lakes, circling on crooked wings above 

 the surface of the water or perching 

 near the shore on the top of some old 

 dead tree overlooking the rippling 

 surface. When a fish is sighted below the long wings are folded 

 and with a meteor-like plunge the bird sinks into the water, imbed- 

 ding the long hooked talons in the back of the fish. With a few 

 powerful strokes of the wings it is up again, carrying the fish with 

 talons planted one ahead of the other in its back, to make it go head 

 first instead of side wise, so that it will cut the air. With its prey 

 the osprey makes for its nest, or if it has no nest flies to a branch 

 where it can devour its quarry at leisure. 



Every spring the fish hawks add a new layer to the old nest, and 

 if undisturbed will use the same structure as long as the sticks hold 

 together. The nests are generally scattered and by no means com- 

 mon, but in places where suckers and other fish are abundant and 

 easily caught, the ospreys sometimes live in large colonies, coming 

 back year after year to the same nests. VERNON BAILEY. 



FAMILY STRIGIDJE BARN OWLS. 



GENUS STRIX. 

 365. Strix pratincola Bonap. BARN OWL. 



Wings long, pointed, folding beyond tail ; tail short, about half as long 1 

 as wing ; tarsus nearly twice as long as middle toe 

 without claw, closely feathered above, slightly feath- 

 ered 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 Fig. 239. 



