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Family BUBONID^. 



Genus ASIO. 



Asio, Brisson, Orn. i. p. 486 (1760). 



Stria; apud Linnseus, Syst. Nat. i. p. 132 (1766). 



Noctua apud S. G. Gmelin, Nov. Comm. Petrop. xv. p. 447(1771). 



Otus apud Daudin, Traite d'Orn. ii. p. 213 (1800). 



Asio apud Lesson, Man. d'Orn. i. p. 116 (1828). 



Ulula apud Jameson in Wils. Am. Orn. i. p. 100 (1831). 



Brachyotus apud Bonaparte, Comp. List, p. 7 (1838). 



Mgolius apud Keyserling & Blasius, Wirbelth. Eur. p. 32 (1840). 



Pliasmoptynx apud Kaup, Trans. Zool. Soc. iv. p. 237(1852). 



The species belonging to this genus have all more or less developed tufts, and form a fairly 

 distinct group, which has been subdivided by some authors into three genera — Asio (type 

 Asio otus), Brachyotus (type Asio accipitrinus), and Pliasmoptynx (type Asio capensis) ; but it 

 appears to me most unadvisable to follow this course, as they are much better united into one 

 genus. These Owls inhabit the Palsearctic, Ethiopian, Oriental, Nearctic, and Neotropical 

 Regions, three species being resident in the Western Palsearctic Region. 



They are nocturnal in their habits, and seldom, if ever, seek their prey by day, when they 

 remain concealed until late in the evening, commencing their peregrinations as soon as the 

 twilight sets in. They frequent both wooded and open localities, are tolerably shy and wary ; 

 and some species are gregarious, whereas others are not so. Their flight is soft and noiseless, 

 and they glide about as silently as ghosts. They feed on small birds, large insects, and small 

 mammals, more especially on the last, of which they destroy large numbers. Their cry is a loud 

 hoot, or a clear loud cry, which is uttered at night when they are flying about. They nest 

 either on the ground or in trees, in the former case collecting together a little grass &c. to make 

 a slight nest on which to place their eggs ; in the latter case they take possession of and repair 

 the deserted nest of some large bird, or of a squirrel. Their eggs are pure white and roundish 

 oval in shape. 



Asio otus, the type of the genus, has the beak stout, decurved from the base, under mandible 

 notched ; nostrils oval, oblique, concealed by stiff feathers ; facial disk complete ; conch of the 

 ear large, with a semicircular operculum running the whole length in front, and a raised margin 

 behind ; auditory opening asymmetrical ; head furnished with two distinct tufts ; wings long and 

 broad, first quill shorter than the fourth, the second longest, the third nearly equal ; tail rather 

 short, slightly rounded ; legs moderate ; the toes feathered to the claws ; claws rather slender, 

 curved, acute. 



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