222 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



area, nesting if need be, until the rodents once again be- 

 come scarce, when they move on to another region. 



The common prejudice against owls is due largely to 

 su|>erstition and to the destruction that is occasionally 

 wrought about the poultry yard by the great horned 

 species. This magnificent but dangerous bird can carry 

 off full grown fowls and has been known to nip the 

 heads from full grown turkeys. It sometimes kills for 

 the mere joy of killing, destroying many fowls during 

 a single night. On poultry and game farms, it is a bird 

 to be feared and persistently trapped, but in the woods, 

 where rabbits and 

 mice and weasels 

 are plentiful, it is 

 far more beneficial 

 than destructive. 



Another large 

 owl often confused 

 with the great 

 horned owl under 

 the common appel- 

 lation o f "hoot 

 owl" is the barred 

 owl. It is nearly 

 as large as the 

 great horned but it 

 does not have the 

 "horns" on the 

 head and has none 

 of the yellowish 

 brown in its plum- 

 age characteristic 

 of the great horn- 

 ed. The plumage 

 is distinctly barred 

 rather than mottl- 

 ed. The calls of 

 both birds are hoots 

 that can be heard 

 for a half a mile or 

 more. The ordi- 

 nary call of the 

 barred owl can be 

 distinguished by its 

 ending in a de- 

 scending nasal in- 

 flection, thus: 



whoo whoo whoo who whoo to whoo ah 

 while the great horned owl's would be written: 



whoo, hoo hoo hoo, whooo, whooo. 

 Both species, however, give other calls occasionally. 

 The snowy owl is somewhat larger than either of these 

 owls and is uniformly white, lightly barred with brown. 

 It spends the summer from central Mackenzie and Alaska 

 northward and in winter, from the Arctic shores south- 

 ward, sometimes as far as northern United States or 

 even rarely as far south as Texas and Louisiana. Their 

 southern migrations depend largely upon the abundance 



A HOME IN A HOLLOW TREE 



Most owls nest in cavities in trees, although when these are not available they use old crows' 

 nests. This is a mother screech owl brooding her young. Having six husky youngsters, she 

 could not brood them all at once. The cavity was originally made by a flicker and the opening 

 can be seen above and to the right. The side of the cavity was removed and later replaced 

 by the 'photographer. 



of rabbits and lemmings in the north. When these fail, 

 which is usually once in ten years, considerable numbers 

 of these owls reach the United States. Such an in- 

 stance occurred during the past winter. 



The long-eared owl resembles the great horned in hav- 

 ing ear tufts but it is much smaller and more slender and 

 does not have the white throat patch. It is usually 

 found in evergreen thickets during the day and except 

 during the nesting season, all the owls of the vicinity 

 may resort to one such thicket to roost. Sometimes the 

 roost is in a single thick cedar tree. 



The short-eared 

 owl is found only 

 about grassy 

 marshes or pas- 

 tures. Like its 

 long-eared relative, 

 numbers of them 

 spend the day to- 

 gether, usually on 

 the ground, on tus- 

 socks or fallen logs 

 in tangled places, 

 where they will al- 

 low one to ap- 

 proach very closely 

 before flushing. 

 They then rise si- 

 lently and fly off a 

 short distance to 

 drop noiselessly 

 back into the tall 

 grasses. 



The commonest 

 owl of all is the lit- 

 tle screech owl, not 

 much larger than a 

 robin but much 

 heavier since but 

 little of its length 

 is given up to bill 

 or tail. It is found 

 even in the heart 

 of large cities in 

 hollows of trees or 

 in crevices about 

 buildings, for the mice upon which it feeds are -every- 

 where. It is represented by one or another of its nine 

 races in all parts of North America. In color it varies 

 from grayish brown to brownish red, the different colors 

 having no bearing upon age, sex or season. This un- 

 usual phenomenon is known as dimorphism and has 

 never been satisfactorily explained. Like the great horn- 

 ed and long-eared owls, it has conspicuous ear tufts but 

 it is easily distinguished by its small size. When seen 

 during the twilight when it starts on the night's hunting, 

 the ear tufts are frequently laid so far back as to be 

 indistinguishable, and the head looks as round as in the 



