BIRDS OF NEW YORK IO9 



and subspecies of owls, distributed in all parts of the world, 80 of which 

 belong to the Otus or Screech owl genus. 



Family J^UUCOXIDA-E 



Barn Owls 



These birds have a peculiar physiognomy which has given them the 

 name of Monkey owls. Facial disk heart-shaped or triangular instead of 

 rounded; the inner toe is as long as the middle toe; middle claw pectijiate 

 on its inner edge; tarsus long, closely feathered, the feathers becoming 

 thin and bristly on the toes, and recurved on the rear part of tarsus; first 

 quill longer than third; none of the primaries sinuate or emarginate; no 

 bony canal in tarso-metatarsus for extensor of toes; sternum has a mann- 

 bn'iiin, and is entire on tJie rear margin; furculnm ankylosed with sternum. 

 This family, which is related to the goatsuckers through Steatornis, is 

 represented by the single living genus Aluco of 26 species and subspecies, 

 distributed in all warm and temperate regions of the world. 



Aluco pratincola (Bonaparte) 

 Barn Owl 



Plate S3 



Strix pratincola Bonaparte. Geog. & Comp. List. 1838. 7 



DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 31, fig. 28 

 Aluco pratincola. A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. igio. p. 168. No. 365 

 aluco, Lat., a kind of hooting owl; pratincola, Lat., inhabiting the meadow 



Description. Upper parts ocheroiis yellow, overwashed with grayish, 

 and speckled and marbled with dusky and luhite; wings and tail bar-spotted 

 with ditsky; under parts vary from white to ta-wny, speckled ivith blackish; 

 face w'liite to taivny; iris blackish. 



Length 15-18 inches; extent 44; wing 12. 5-14; tail 5.5-7.5; tarsus 

 2.25-3. 



Distribution. The American Barn owl, which is closely related to 



the European species f 1 a m m e a , inhabits the warmer portions of North 



America from the northern limit of the upper Austral zone southward into 



Mexico. The only New York breeding records before me are from Staten 



Island, Long Island and the Genesee valley. It has been regarded as a 



rare bird in this State but, as the accompanying records indicate, is well 



distributed in the warmer portions of New York, and probably is more 



