THE FLORIDA BARRED OWL. 339 



115. Syrnium nebulosum alleni Ridgway. 



FLORIDA BARKED OWL. 



Strix nebulosa alleni Ridgway, Proceedings U. S. National Museum, in, March 27, 



1880, 8. 

 (B — , C — , R 397a, C 477, U 368a.) 



Geographical range : South Atlantic and Gulf coast region of the United 

 States, from eastern South Carolina, Georgia, and all of Florida west to southeastern 

 and central Texas. 



The Florida Barred Owl, a slightly darker colored bird than the pre- 

 ceding, was first described from specimens taken in Florida, and is now 

 known to be common in the heavily wooded bottom lands of southeastern 

 and central Texas (Lee County), and it has also been taken at Gainesville, 

 Cooke County, near the northern border of that State. All the Barred Owls 

 found along the intervening Gulf coast, in the southern portions of Alabama, 

 Mississippi, and Louisiana, south of latitude 31°, are doubtless referable to 

 this race. Its known range has recently been likewise extended along the 

 Atlantic coast. Mr. J. E. Benedict shot a specimen, which is now in the 

 U. S. National Museum collection, on June 4, 1891, near Georgetown, South 

 Carolina, in the northeastern part of the State, which is perfectly typical, 

 and he says that this Owl is quite common in that vicinity. It may, there- 

 fore, be looked for throughout eastern Georgia and the greater portion of 

 eastern South Carolina as well, and as these birds are constant residents 

 wherever found it is reasonable to presume that they also breed there. 



The habits of the Florida race appear to be very similar to those of the 

 common Barred Owl; like the latter, it frequents the densest forests of the bot- 

 tom lands, nesting, however, almost exclusively in hollow trees and stumps, 

 such as oak, pine, cypress, and gum trees, while in Florida they make use 

 occasionally of hollow cabbage palmettos, the eggs being laid on such rubbish 

 as may be found at the bottom of the cavity or on the bare wood; open nests 

 in trees are only used on very rare occasions. These sites are usually situated 

 at a height of from 15 to 50 feet from the ground and rarely higher. 



Dr. William L. Ralph writes me: "The Florida Barred Owl, though mueh 

 less numerous now than formerly, is still very abundant in the unfrequented dis- 

 tricts, and not uncommon even in the more settled portions of St. Johns and Put- 

 nam Counties in that State. During the first few years in which I visited these 

 localities they were so abundant that at times — when they were mating, I think 

 — I have heard nearly a hundred calling at once. The call notes of the Florida 

 Barred Owl are about the same as those of the northern bird. These notes con- 

 sist of three syllables, which sound like 'who,' 'ah,' and 'whack,' but they are 

 often given in such different tones that it appears as if they uttered more. 

 Their usual note is a loud single ' who-ah.' Where several birds are together, 

 sometimes in the midst of almost a perfect silence, one would begin with 'who- 



