178 



HORNED OWLS, ETC. 



1'. Head and neck spotted. 



2. Wing broadly tipped with whitish . 

 2'. Wing with white tips almost obsolete 



. occidentale, p. 178. 

 . . caurinum, p. 179. 



LTOIII Biological Survey, U. 

 S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



Fig. 245. 



368. Syrnium nebulosum (Forst.). BARRED OWL. 



Adults. Head, neck, and breast widely barred with dark brown and 

 white or buffy, belly streaked with dark brown on 

 whitish or buffy ground ; upper parts mixed dark 

 brown, irregularly barred and spotted with buffy, 

 whitish, and yellowish brown ; wings and tail 

 banded. Young: entire plumage barred except 

 tail and wing quills, which are as in adult ; back 

 and wing coverts broadly barred, the end of each 

 feather white, giving a spotted effect. Length : 

 19.75-24.00, wing about 13-14, tail about 9. 



Distribution. Breeds in Transition and Upper 

 Sonoran zones from Nova Scotia south to Georgia 

 and northern Texas, and west to Colorado. 



Nest. In hollows of trees, or that of hawk or 

 crow. Eggs : 2 to 4, white. 



Food. Mainly mice and other small mam- 

 mals ; also crawfish and insects. 



' ' In the central and southern parts of its 

 range it is quite common, frequenting mostly 

 the heavy timbered and, preferably, swampy 

 tracts near watercourses, and spending the days generally in natural 

 hollows of trees or in dense shrubbery. Like most of the birds of 

 this family, it is nocturnal in its habits, but nevertheless sees well 

 enough, and even occasionally hunts in the daytime, especially 

 during cloudy weather. . . . 



' ' The flight of the barred owl ... is easy, and though quite 

 swift at times, it is perfectly noiseless. A rapidly passing shadow 

 distinctly cast on the snow-covered ground is often the sole cause 

 of its presence being betrayed as it glides silently by the hunter's 

 camp-fire in the still hours of a moonlight night. Far oftener, 

 however, it announces itself by the unearthly weird call-notes 

 peculiar to this species, which surpass in startling effect those of 

 all other owls with which I am familiar." (Bendire.) 



368b. S. n. helveolum Bangs. TEXAS BARRED OWL. 



Pallid, back, wings, and tail pale yellowish brown or cinnamon, light 

 bars and spots on wings large and white ; light bars on tail wider and 

 paler than in S. nebulosum ; under parts paler, dark striping and barring 

 browner, ground color whiter ; feathers of tarsus buffy, without dusky 

 markings. Type: female: wing 13, tail 8.32. Topotype : male adult: 

 wing 13.64, tail 8.40. 



Distribution. Southern Texas (and northern Tamaulipas, Mexico ?). 



369. Syrnium occidentale Xantus. SPOTTED OWL. 



Upper parts brown, head and neck coarsely spotted (instead of barred) 

 with round white spots ; wing quills spotted with pale brown and whitish, 



