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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



The nest of the barn owl ordinarily is 

 concealed in a hollow tree, cave, or build- 

 ing. The eggs are laid at irregular inter- 

 vals, so that partly incubated eggs and 

 young are often found together. The nest- 

 ing season is somewhat variable. No nest- 

 ing material is used except rubbish that 

 may have accumulated in the cavity chosen 

 for a home. 



The young crouch, peer, and posture, with 

 nodding heads, in attitudes most strange 

 and unbirdlike, uttering weird calls and 

 hisses that at times resemble the sound of 

 escaping steam. Little wonder that they are 

 objects of surprise to those not acquainted 

 with them! 



Barn owls are not aggressive and often 

 do not offer to bite or scratch even when 

 handled. In captivity they are interesting 

 mainly for their grotesque appearance, as 

 they sit quietly by day and are active only 

 by night. 



Beneficial everywhere, this species, like 

 other owls, is subject to constant persecu- 

 tion, sad to say. The barn owls eat destruc- 

 tive field mice and rats in large numbers, 

 and in the West add to this diet numerous 

 pocket gophers, a bane to ranchers every- 

 where. In regurgitated pellets of this owl 

 from California I have identified hundreds 

 of skulls of these destructive mammals. 

 Barn owls also consume large insects, being 

 especially partial to the Jerusalem cricket 

 of the West. 



These owls should be protected always 

 for the good that they accomplish in rela- 

 tion to the interests of man. 



The barn owl regularly raids the summer 

 roosts of the abundant starlings where these 

 birds gather to spend the night in groves of 

 trees. The capture of a starling or two 

 seems to make little difference to the mul- 

 titude of its companions, but when the owls 

 remain after the meal and call and chatter, 

 this is too much for starling nerves, and 

 the birds rush out with a roar of wings to 

 circle in the darkness. A few nights of this 

 and they usually remove to other quarters. 

 Those who suffer the annoyance of starling 

 roosts may well wish that barn owls were 

 more numerous. 



The barn owl is found regularly from 

 northern California, Colorado, Ohio, and 

 Connecticut south to Nicaragua, and occurs 

 casually north into Canada. Related forms 

 are widely spread through the temperate 

 portions of the world. 



Long-Eared Owl 



{Asio wilsonianus) 



When the long-eared owl is flying, its 

 broad wings and tail give a deceptive ap- 

 pearance of size, as in reality the body of 

 this species is small and slight, its bulk 

 being composed principally of long, fluffy 

 feathers (see page 22S). In general ap- 

 pearance it resembles the darker forms of 

 the great horned owl (page 228), but is 

 decidedly smaller and differs completely in 

 temperament. 



Though formerly abundant, the long- 

 eared owl has suffered at the hands of 

 hunters and bounty systems, so that in 

 many sections of the East it is now rare. 



This owl is found during the day hidden 

 in heavy cover, seeking pine and spruce 

 trees where these are available, and the 

 shelter of dense growths of leaves or limbs 

 elsewhere. 



In the Middle West I found them in 

 fall and winter in little groups of six or 

 eight that rested near one another. Pos- 

 sibly these were family parties. I have 

 seen them in clumps of willows and in 

 tangled roots beneath the bank of a gully 

 when other cover was not at hand. 



Like the screech owl and other small 

 woodland species, the long-eared owl some- 

 times tries to escape detection by drawing 

 its feathers close against its body and be- 

 coming stiffly erect with partly closed eyes, 

 simulating a broken branch or part of a 

 tree trunk. 



These birds breed in nests of sticks placed 

 in trees, often using old abodes of crows or 

 herons, but sometimes building their own. 

 Rarely, they place their nests on cliffs or 

 in holes. They have from three to seven 

 young in a brood. 



The food of this owl is mainly mice and 

 other small mammals, with only an occa- 

 sional bird. In 225 regurgitated pellets 

 that I examined, I identified remains of 187 

 mice and only five small birds. The long- 

 eared owl also eats many large beetles, 

 must be considered beneficial, and merits 

 constant protection. 



At a camp in northern Wyoming where I 

 was collecting small mammals as specimens 

 for the National Museum, I was troubled 

 by the loss of numerous traps. I was puz- 

 zled as to what had become of them until 

 one day I found a nest of young long-eared 

 owls in a low willow near my camp, with 



