The Birds of El Paso County, Colorado S07 



birds taken in winter which are lighter than typical aikeni, 

 and which possibly may be a color phase or intergrades. 



Otu» asio aikeni. Aiken's Screech Owl. 



Resident, common. Aiken has never found it anywhere 

 except in cottonwood trees along the streams. It breeds com- 

 monly along Fountain Creek, and has been known to breed 

 in Monument Valley Park. A pair bred in 1913 in a flicker's 

 hole in a tree on St. Vrain Street, Colorado Springs, beside 

 the home of Dr. W. W. Arnold, raising four young. The 

 owls drove away the flickers which had bred in the hole the 

 year before, taking possession for themselves. One was found 

 dead in the vault of the cemetery at Colorado Springs, January 

 1, 1900. 



Aiken once found the feathers of a Pink-sided Junco in 

 the stomach of a Screech Owl which was killed in winter, but 

 the species no doubt kills many more mice and such small 

 mammals than it does birds, and is a very useful bird for that 

 reason. 



January 9, 1904, a Screech Owl in the red phase was taken 

 near Colorado Springs, the skin of which is now in the Aiken 

 Collection. This skin was examined by Mr. William Brewster, 

 who pronounced it to be typical Olus asio asio. Later Mr. H. 

 C. Oberholser also examined it, and considers it to be the red 

 phase of aikeni, and tells us that he has seen several other 

 specimens of the red phase of this subspecies, and that while 

 very close to the red phase of typical asio they may be dis- 

 tinguished by being slightly paler in color. At the time of 

 Mr. Brewster's examination this was the only red example 

 of this subspecies known. 



The following account of a pet Screech Owl may be of in- 

 terest to our readers. The bird was captured after leaving its 

 nest by a boy and brought to me alive and uninjured about 

 June 25th, 1905. It was in the nestling or downy plumage. 



