SHORT COMMUNICATIONS 
847 
American alligators were also actively fishing and 
courting there from sunset until 1-2 hrs after 
midnight. Fishing activity by these species was 
not recorded in detail, but the owl apparently 
visited the slough when the number of individuals 
of other bird species was lowest, between a rush 
of activity by larger birds during the first half of 
the night and another peak in activity at dawn. 
UTERATURE CITED 
Cannings, R. J. and T. Angell. 2001. Western Screech- 
Owl (Otus kennicottii). The birds of North America. 
Number 597. 
Gehlbach, F. R. 1994. The Eastern Screech-Owl: life 
history, ecology and behavior in suburbia and the 
countryside. Texas A&M University Press, College 
Station, USA. 
Johnsgard. P. A. 1988, North American owls: biology and 
natural history. Smithsonian Institution Press, Wash¬ 
ington. D.C., USA. 
Land, H. C. 1970. Birds of Guatemala. Livingston 
Publishing Company. Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, 
USA. 
Marks, J. S.. R. J. Cannings, and H. Mikkola. 1999. 
Family Strigidac (typical owls). Pages 76-151 in 
Handbook of the birds of the world. Volume 5. Barn- 
owls to hummingbirds (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, and J. 
Sargatal. Editors). Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, 
Spain. 
Prescott, K. W. 1985. Eastern Screech-Owl cap¬ 
tures goldfish in patio pond. Wilson Bulletin 97:572- 
573. 
