Color Key to North American Birds Part 39

Range.--South and Central America north to southern border of the United States.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 360. Male.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: 360. Female.]

=360. Sparrow Hawk= (_Falco sparverius_). L. 10; [Female], 11. _Ad._ [Male]. Tail with one black bar; below _spotted_. _Ad._ [Female].

Whole back barred; tail with numerous black bars; below _streaked_.

_Notes._ A rapidly repeated _killy-killy-killy_, usually uttered while on the wing.

Range.--Eastern North America west to Rocky Mountains; breeds from Gulf States to Hudson Bay; winters from southern Illinois and New Jersey southward.

Hawks and Owls

=360a. Desert Sparrow Hawk= (_F. s. phalaena_). Similar to No. 360, but slightly larger and appreciably paler; [Female] with black bars above narrower; streakings of underparts finer and more rusty. [Male], L.

10.6; W. 7.5; T. 5.3; [Female], L. 10.8; W. 7.7; T. 5.3. (Mearns.)

Range.--"Western United States, north to western British Columbia and western Montana south, to Mazatlan in northwestern Mexico." (A.O.U.)

=360b. St. Lucas Sparrow Hawk= (_F. s. peninsularis_). Similar to No.

360a, but paler; smaller than No. 360. [Male], W. 6.4; T. 4.5; [Female], W. 7; T. 4.7. (Mearns.)

Range--Lower California (Cape Region only?)

[Ill.u.s.tration: 365.]

=365. Barn Owl; Monkey-faced Owl= (_Strix pratincola_). L. 18. No ear-tufts; eyes black. _Ads._ Above gray and yellowish buff; below white more or less washed with buff and spotted with black. _Yng._ More buffy below. _Notes._ A sudden, harsh scream and a screaming _cr-r-r-r-e-e_, repeated several times generally when flying.

Range.--United States north to Long Island, (rarely Ma.s.sachusetts), southern Ontario, Minnesota and Oregon; migrates slightly south and winters south to Mexico.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 366.]

=366. American Long-eared Owl= (_Asio wilsonia.n.u.s_). L. 14.8.

Ear-tufts long; eyes yellow. _Ads._ Above varied with _gray_; belly _barred_. _Notes._ Usually silent except during the breeding season when they utter a soft toned, slow _wu-hunk_, _wu-hunk_ and a low, twittering, whistling _d.i.c.ky_, _d.i.c.ky_, _d.i.c.ky_. (Bendire.)

Range.--North America; breeds from Nova Scotia, Manitoba, and British Columbia south into Mexico.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 367.]

=367. Short-eared Owl= (_Asio accipitrinus_). L. 15.5. Ear tufts short; eyes yellow. _Ads._ No gray above; belly _streaked_. _Notes._ A shrill barking call like the _ki-yi_ of a small dog. (Lawrence.)

Range.--"Nearly cosmopolitan;" in America breeds locally from Virginia, northern Mississippi Valley, and Dakotas northward; winters from northern United States southward.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 378.]

=378. Burrowing Owl= (_Speotyto cunicularia hypogaea_). L. 10. Tarsi bare behind. _Ads._ Spotted above with buffy; belly barred; chin and breast-patch white. _Yng._ Less distinctly spotted above; belly without bars. _Notes._ A mellow, sonorous _coo-c-o-o_; a chattering note uttered when flying, and a short, shrill alarm-note, _tzip-tzip_.

(Bendire.)

Range.--Western North America from humid coast region east to prairies of Mississippi Valley (western Nebraska, central Kansas, western Minnesota); north to about line of Canadian Pacific R. R.; south to Central America.

=378a. Florida Burrowing Owl= (_S. c. floridana_). Similar to No. 378, but slightly smaller and whiter throughout; spots above white with little if any buff; tarsi nearly bare.

Range.--Interior of southern Florida.

Owls

[Ill.u.s.tration: 368.]

=368. Barred Owl= (_Syrnium varium_). L. 80. No ear-tufts; eyes black. _Ads._ Head, back and breast _barred_; _toes feathered nearly if not quite to the nails_. _Notes._ A loud, sonorous _whoo-whoo-whoo-too-whoo_, _to-whoo-ah_; a long-drawn, _whoo-ah_; rarely a wild scream; and when two individuals meet, a remarkable medley of hoots and _ha-has_.

Range.--Eastern North America except Gulf Coast; north to Nova Scotia and Manitoba; west to Colorado; resident, except at northern limit of range.

=368a. Florida Barred Owl= (_S. v. alleni_). Similar to No. 368, but smaller, darker; black bars especially on breast, wider; _toes nearly if not quite bare_.

Range.--Florida; north along coast to South Carolina; west along coast to Texas.

=368b. Texas Barred Owl= (_S. v. helveolum_). Similar to No. 368 in color, but with the toes bare as in No. 368a.

Range.--Southern Texas.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 369.]

=369. Spotted Owl= (_Syrnium occidentale_). Resembles No. 368, but has the head and neck _spotted_ with white; primaries with broad, whitish tips. _Notes._ Probably similar to those of No. 368. (Bendire.)

Range.--Western United States from southern Colorado and New Mexico, west to California, south to Lower California and Guanajuato, Mexico.

=369a. Northern Spotted Owl= (_S. o. caurinum_). Similar to No. 369, but darker; white markings smaller; white spots on head and neck reduced to minimum; white tips to primaries nearly obsolete.

(Merriam.)

Range.--Western Was.h.i.+ngton and British Columbia.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 370.]

=370. Great Gray Owl= (_Scotiaptex nebulosa_). L. 27. No ear-tufts; eyes yellow. _Ads._ Above black finely and _irregularly_ marked with white; breast _streaked_; feet feathered to toe-nails. _Notes._ Said to be a tremulous, vibrating sound. (Fisher.)

Range.--North America; breeds north of Lat. 55; winters south to northern border of United States casually as far as New Jersey, Illinois, Minnesota, Idaho, and northern California.

=371. Richardson Owl= (_Nyctala tengmalmi richardsoni_). L. 10. _Ads._ Above _grayish_ brown with numerous white _spots_, particularly on head; feet feathered to toes and usually with indistinct, dusky bars.

_Notes._ A musical, soft whistle. (Wheelright.) A peculiar grating cry. (Nelson.) (See next page.)

Range.--Northern North America; breeds from Gulf of St. Lawrence and Manitoba northward; winters south to northern border of United States, casually to Ma.s.sachusetts, Iowa, and Colorado; no Pacific coast record (?).

[Ill.u.s.tration: 371.]