THE TAWNY OWL 



SrRNIUM ALUCO 



LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Brown Owl " 

 (Essex). 



STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : Fairly common resi- 

 dent in the wooded areas of England, Wales, and the 

 south of Scotland, but unknown in Ireland. 



RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST. 

 PAUL'S : The Tawny Owl, I should say, is a rarer bird 

 within the Metropolitan limits than the preceding species, 

 although I have heard it very frequently no further 

 away from St. Paul's than Harlesden, and it is said even 

 to breed in Kensington Gardens. It may also often 

 be heard at Wembley, and is known to frequent the 

 vicinity of Dulwich, Wimbledon, Richmond, Bushey, 

 Kew, Osterley, Hampstead, Epping, and Wanstead. 

 Further afield, of course, it becomes more numerous, 

 and is locally distributed in most of the wooded districts 

 within our Metropolitan radius of fifteen miles. Owls 

 are most difficult birds to observe, and during their 

 seasons of silence can very easily be overlooked. They 

 frequent regularly many localities where their presence is 

 not even suspected, and include in their nightly wander- 

 ings many places far from their roosting- and breeding- 

 places. 



The melancholy, deep, and far-sounding cry of the 

 Tawny Owl is a very familiar night-cry in the wooded 

 districts of suburban London. At such places as Rich- 

 mond Park, Epping Forest, and Osterley, to go no further 

 afield, the oft-repeated hoo who hoo of this Owl may be 

 heard during the livelong summer night. The Tawny 

 Owl shows no partiality for buildings ; it loves the woods, 

 and usually makes its retreat in some hollow tree, although 

 it occasionally passes the day sitting on a branch asleep 



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