150 BIRDS OF ALABAMA 



about. It shuns timbered regions, and is found usually on 

 prairies and marshes or in open fields, where it may fre- 

 quently be flushed from long grass. It is somewhat gre- 

 garious during migration and in winter is often found in small 

 and sometimes in large flocks. Its flight is easy, graceful, 

 and noiseless, and the large wings make the bird appear larger 

 than it really is. 



Food habits. — The food of the short-eared owl consists prin- 

 cipally of mice and other small mammals, with a small per- 

 centage of insects and wild birds. The species, therefore, is 

 one of the most useful of predatory birds. 



FLORIDA BARRED OWL; HOOT OWL; SWAMP OWL: 

 Strix varia alleni Ridgway. 



State records. — The barred owl (fig. 5) is common and 

 generally distributed over the State. Specimens examined 

 from Stiggins Lake (near Mount Vernon), Greensboro, Au- 

 taugaville, Mount Weogufka, Ardell, and Sand Mountain, near 

 Langston, are referable to the southern form (alleni) and 

 indicate that the range of this subspecies includes practically 

 the whole State. 



The nesting season begins in February. Golsan found a 

 nest near Autaugaville, March 27, 1910, containing one 

 heavily incubated egg. 



General habits. — The barred owl, or "hoot owl" as it is 

 more often called, is found in heavy river-bottom timber or in 

 swamps, where it lives the year round. During the day it 

 remains hidden in a dense thicket or evergreen tree; but if 

 its retreat is discovered by crows or bluejays it is quickly sur- 

 rounded by a noisy mob composed of most of the feathered 

 inhabitants of the neighborhood, who pursue the unfortunate 

 owl until it has flown to a distant or more secure hiding place. 

 This species is solitary in habit and usually resents the in- 

 trusion of a strange individual of its kind. It hunts chiefly 

 by night, but is occasionally seen abroad on cloudy days. 



The nest of this owl is usually in a large natural hollow in a 

 tree, the eggs being deposited on rubbish at the bottom of 

 the cavity; rarely an old nest of a hawk or crow is utilized. 



