54 



Family BUBONID^ — Horned Owls, etc. 



1. Tarsus partly bare, twice as long as middle toe; wing 5£ to 7£ inches 

 long Burrowing Owl. 



I. Tarsus fully feathered (2) 



2. Head with conspicuous ear-tufts (3) 



2. Head without ear-tufts (11) 



3. Wing 8 inches or less in length (4) 



3. Wing over 8 inches long (7) 



4. Without ear-tufts; wing 3i to 4 inches long Pygmy Owl. 



4. With ear-tufts; wing over 4 inches long (5) 



5. Toes entirely naked to extreme base; ear-tufts small 



Flammulated Screech Owl. 



5. Toes distinctly feathered or bristled on upper side; ear-tufts rather 



large (6) 



6. Above gray, irregularly marked with black; below gray, white, 

 rusty and black, (gray phase) ; or above bright rusty brown with 

 a few black streaks; below white streaked with black and barred 



with rusty brown, (red phase) Screech Owl. 



6. Very pale; above with a pale grayish buff predominating; black 

 markings throughout very narrow and less numerous than in 



other forms Rocky Mountain Screech Owl. 



7. Size large, form robust; wing 14 to 18 inches long (8) 



7. Size medium, form slender; wing 11 to 13 inches long (10) 



8. General color darker, much suffused with buffy and rufous. . . 



Great Horned Owl. 



8. General color lighter and grayer, with little or no buffy in plumage 



(9) 



9. Very pale throughout; the feet immaculate Arctic Horned Owl. 



9. Darker, but not buffy or ferruginous ; the feet more or less spotted. .. 



Western Horned Owl. 



10. Ear-tufts large and composed of 8 to 12 feathers 



American Long-eared Owl. 



10. Ear-tufts small, composed of few feathers Short-eared Owl. 



II. Wing 10 inches or under (12) 



11. Wing more than 10 inches long (14) 



12. Wing 8 to 10 inches long; hawk -like in appearance 



American Hawk Owl. 



12. Wing 5 to 8 inches long (13) 



13. Length 10 inches; above grayish brown with numerous white spots, 



especially on head Richardson Owl. 



13. Length 8 inches; above cinnamon brown; forehead with many streaks; 



hind head with few Saw-whet Owl. 



14. General color white, more or less barred with blackish 



Snowy Owl. 



14. General color gray or brown m 5) 



15. Length 20 inches; eyes black; breast barred Barred Owl. 



15 Length 27 inches; eyes yellow; breast streaked Great Gray Owl. 



