Short-eared Owls 519 



Short-eared Owls. Of the second section of the genus which is characterized 

 by having the ear-tufts rudimentary, the so-called Short-eared Owl (A. acci- 

 pitrinus} is the typical representative. This species is practically cosmopolitan, 

 ranging throughout the entire Western Hemisphere except the Galapagos Islands 

 and a part of the West Indies, and the Eastern Hemisphere excepting Australia 

 and Oceanica. Ranging in length from fourteen to nearly seventeen inches, 

 it has the ground color both above and below varying from bright tawny ochra- 

 ceous to buffy white, which is striped but not barred with dark brown. The 

 face is whitish, becoming blackish around the eyes, while the ear-tufts are so 

 reduced that at a distance of twenty-five feet they are practically indistinguish- 

 able. 



"In its general habits," says Bendire, "the Short-eared Owl differs consid- 

 erably from most of the other members of this family found with us in being not 

 nearly so nocturnal and in frequenting the more open country; for while most 

 of our Owls inhabit timbered regions, this species shuns such sections and rarely 

 ever alights on a tree. Its home is amidst the rank grasses and weeds usually 

 found along the borders of lakes and sloughs in the open prairie country, where 

 it hides during bright, sunshiny days. If the sky is clouded, this Owl may be 

 frequently seen hunting in the early morning or evening and sometimes in the 

 middle of the day, and at such times it flies very low, not more than a few feet 

 from the ground, which it carefully scans for its humble prey. Its flight is re- 

 markably easy, graceful, and perfectly noiseless." From the fact that these 

 birds are usually seen in pairs it is presumed that they remain mated through 

 life. Their notes are apparently somewhat varied, consisting of a faint mouse- 

 like squeak, a loud, startled cry, like a ghostly laugh, and a hoot which has been 

 likened to the "baying of a dog in the distance." Their food consists almost 

 entirely of small rodents, such as meadow mice, gophers, voles, lemmings, with 

 an occasional small bird, as well as grasshoppers and various insects. When- 

 ever a district becomes overrun with certain of these rodents, such as field mice 

 and voles, the Short-eared Owls are almost certain to assemble in numbers and 

 to remain until the vermin are reduced. This species is also distinctly migra- 

 tory, breeding most abundantly in the northern portions of its range and retiring 

 southward in fall. In the Arctic regions the time of nesting may be deferred 

 until June or even July, but in the more southern portions it may begin as early 

 as March. The nest is always placed on the ground, usually in a bunch of grass 

 or weeds, and consists of a slight hollow sparsely lined with dry grass; occa- 

 sionally, according to Dr. Dall, the nest may be placed in a burrow on the side 

 of a steep bank. The eggs number from four to seven, rarely more, and usually 

 but a single brood is reared in a season. When disturbed the birds submit with 

 little demonstration. 



In Porto Rico the place of the typical form is taken by a distinct species, 

 the Porto Rican Short-eared Owl (A. portoricensis), which has the dorsal region 

 a nearly uniform dark brown instead of being conspicuously striped with ochra- 

 ceous, while in the Galapagos Islands there is another closely related species 

 (A galapagoensis). The latter has the legs marked with dusky streaks, the back 



