* 373. Screech Owl (Megascops asto). L. 9.4; W:> 
6.4; T. 3. Two color phases; with ear-tufts; eyes 
yellow. ‘Ad. Gray phase. Above buffy gray irreg- 
ularly marked with black; below gray, white, rusty 
and black. Ad. Red phase. Above bright rusty 
brown with a few black streaks; below white streaked 
with black and barred with rusty brown. Yung. Above 
gray or rusty barred with black and white; below 
white thickly barred with blackish. Notes. A fre- 
quently repeated tremulous, wailing whistle; often 
followed by a slower refrain-like call; a castanet-like 
Snapping of the mandibles. 
Range.— Eastern North America from Florida north to New Bruns- 
wick, Ontario and Minnesota, west to the Great Plains; resident. 
373a. Florida Screech Owl (M. a. floridanus). 
Smaller than No. 373, W. 6.9; T. 2.8. Two color 
phases. Similar to those of No. 373, but averaging 
darker and more heavily marked below;. especially in 
red phase. 
Range.— Florida, north along coast to South Carolina; west along 
coast to Louisiana. 
373b. Texas Screech Owl (M. a. mccalli). Simi- 
lar to No. 373, but smaller, W. 6.1; underparts, es- 
pecially sides of belly, with more black bars; toes 
barer. I have seen only a gray phase. 
Range. - ‘‘From western and southern Texas across east border of 
tablelands of Mexico.’’ (Bailey.) 
373c. California Screech Owl (MM. a. bendiret). 
W.6.6. A gray color phase only. Resembling No. 
373, but somewhat darker above; less buff about the 
nape; black streakings more regularly distributed; un- 
derparts much as in No. 373b. 
Range.—California and southern Oregon. 
373d. Kennicott Screech Owl (M. a. kennicotttt). 
L. 10; W. 7. 25. Ads. Sooty brown prevailing above; 
blackish markings below nearly if not fully as wide as 
white ones; darkest of our Screech Owls. 
Range. — Pacific coast from Oregon to Sitka. 
373e. Rocky Mountain Screech Owl (MM. a. max- 
wellie). W.7. Similar to No. 373f above but paler; 
pale grayish buff predominating; black markings 
throughout much narrower and less numerous than in 
No. 373g; palest of our Screech Owls. 
Range.—‘‘Foothills and adjacent plains of the east Rocky Moun- 
tains from Colorado north to Montana’ (Bendire). 
141 
Owls. 
