184 KEY AND DESCRIPTION 



ORDER VI. BIRDS OP PREY (RAPTORBS) 



An order of usually large, rapacious, land birds, with hooked 

 and cered bills ; living exclusively upon animal food. They 

 are found in all lands, and form several well-marked families. 

 Some are night-flying (owls), some are carrion-eating (buzzards 

 and vultures), some live mainly on mammals, fish, and birds 

 (eagles and larger hawks), and some eat mice and insects (the 

 smaller hawks). 



FAMILY XXVII. HORNED OWLS, HOOT OWLS, ETC. 

 (BUBONID^) 



A large family (200 species) of owls, with rounded eye disks 

 and toe nails, without saw-like teeth. It contains all our species 

 except one, the barn owl. The owls differ from all other birds 

 in having the face so broadened that both eyes look forward 

 instead of sidewise, and they are so surrounded by radiating 

 feathers as to make these features of the head seem larger. 

 The eyes are immovable in their sockets, so that the whole 

 head has to be turned when the bird wishes to look in a new 

 direction. This gives a live specimen a very strange appear- 

 ance. INIany of the birds of this family have tufts of erectile 

 feathers appearing like external ears and popularly called ear 

 tufts. ^ These birds are regarded by many with superstitious 

 awe because of their uncanny appearance, their strange actions, 

 and their harsh, hooting, weird voices. 



Key to the Species 



* Wing, SJ-Ti long; tarsus partly bare of feathers and twice as long as 



the middle toe 11. Burrowing Owl. 



* Wing, 3-41 long ; tarsus partly bare and but little longer than the 



middle toe 13. Elf Owl. 



* Tarsus fully feathered. (A.) 



A. Head with conspicuous ear tufts or horns.' (F.) 



A. Head without ear tufts.^ (B.) 

 B. Wing, 15-19 long. (E.) 

 B. Wing, 11-14 long. (D.) 

 B. Wing, 8-10 long 10. American Hawk Owl. 



