I. SUB-FAMILY STRIGINÆ. THE TRUE OR TYPICAL OWLS.
Head, large; facial disc, perfect; bill, rather long; eyes, of moderate size; wings, long; tail, moderate; legs, rather long, clothed with short feathers; toes, long—size, medium, never very large; colors of plumage in the greater number of species, yellowish-fawn color and white.
I. GENUS STRIX. Linnæus Syst. Nat., I. p. 131. (1766.)
Head, large, without ear-tufts; cavity of the ear, large; bill, rather long, covered at the base by projecting, bristle-like feathers; eyes, rather small, and surrounded by radiated feathers; facial disc, perfect; wings, very long, pointed, and with the outer edges distinctly fringed; tarsi, long, thinly covered with feathers; toes, long, more or less covered with bristles; claws, long, moderately strong, curved, very sharp; tail, moderate, or rather long. Contains about twelve species of all parts of the world, nearly all of which resemble in a greater or less measure Strix flammea, of Europe, and Strix pratincola, of North America.
1. Strix pratincola. Bonap. Comp. List., p. 7. (1838.) The Barn Owl. Strix americana. Aud. Orn. Biog. II. p. 421 (1834, but not of Gmelin, 1788).
Wilson Am. Orn., VI. pl. 50., fig. 2. Aud. B. of Am. pl. 171, octavo edition, I. pl. 34. Nat. Hist. State of New York Birds, pl. 13, fig. 28.
Typical, and strictly exhibiting the generic characters.
Adult. Entire plumage above, pale fawn color, or tawny brownish-yellow, in some specimens nearly white, mottled with dark-gray and white, especially on the back and wing coverts and outer webs of the quills, which mottling gives the predominating color of those parts to many specimens; nearly every feather with a small subterminal black spot succeeded by another of white. Quills, fawn-colored, or pale reddish-yellow, varying much in shade in different specimens, and fading into nearly white on the inner webs; primaries with about five irregular transverse bars of brownish-black. Under parts, generally pale fawn color, but in some specimens, pure white, with small sagittate, lanceolate or circular spots of brownish-black; tibiæ and tarsi similar in color to the other under parts, but frequently unspotted and pure white; inferior coverts of the wing and tail, white; tail, same color as quills and crossed by four or five bars of dark-brown; face, white, with central spots of dark-chestnut nearly encircling the eyes, disc feathers tipped with dark fawn-color and brownish-black, forming a very conspicuous margin, especially on the lower part of the face; bill, toes and claws, light-yellowish; irides, brown. Distinctive colors of sexes not well understood, but they are, probably, nearly alike.
Dimensions. Female, total length, about 16 inches; wing, 13; tail, 5½ inches. Male, smaller.
Hab. The whole of North America, except the northern regions; more abundant in the south. Wisconsin (Dr. Hoy), Vermont (Dr. Brewer, Mr. Z. Thompson), Massachusetts (Dr. Emmons), Oregon (U. S. Ex. Exp., Vincennes), California (Dr. Heermann), New Mexico (Dr. Henry), South Carolina (Mr. Audubon, Prof. Gibbes), Texas, Mexico (Lieut. Couch). Spec. in Mus. Acad., Philada.
Obs. This handsome species of Owl may be regarded as most properly a southern and western species, being of rather rare occurrence north of Virginia, though it breeds occasionally in the Northern States. It is nearly related to Strix flammea of Europe, but is larger. It very much resembles also several other species of various parts of the world, such as S. perlata of South America, S. furcata of the island of Cuba, and others. Naturalists have, in fact, established species on very slender characters, amongst the owls of this group. It is a very harmless bird, resorting in the south to buildings and outhouses, and subsisting on small animals. Different specimens vary considerably in shade of color and somewhat in dimensions.
II. SUB-FAMILY BUBONINÆ. THE HORNED OWLS.
Size, various, in some species very large, in others, small; head, large, always furnished with conspicuous ear-tufts, facial disc incomplete in the upper part; legs, feet and claws usually strong. This division contains numerous species of all parts of the world, except Australia.