A Synopsis of the Birds of North America. John James Audubon

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СКАЧАТЬ of feathers; tail short, arched, narrow, slightly rounded. Bill greyish-yellow; claws black. General colour of upper parts light yellowish-brown, or umber-brown, spotted with white; the quills with triangular reddish-white spots from the margins of both webs, there being five on each web of the first; the tail similarly barred, there being on the middle feathers four double spots, and the tips of all white. Face greyish-white; throat and ruff white, succeeded by a mottled brown band, beneath which is a patch of white; the rest of the lower parts yellowish-white, with broad bars of light reddish-brown, which are closer on the sides of the breast; abdomen, lower tail-coverts, and legs without spots.

      Male, 10, 24. Female, 11.

      Prairies west of the Mississippi. Abundant.

      Burrowing Owl, Strix cunicularia, Say, in Long's Exped. v. i. p. 200.

      Burrowing Owl, Strix cunicularia, Bonap. Amer. Orn. v. i. p. 68.

      Burrowing Owl, Strix cunicularia, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. v. p. 264.

      Burrowing Owl, Strix cunicularia, Nutt. Man. v. i. p. 118.

      30. 4. Surnia passerinoides, Temm. Columbian Day-Owl.

      Plate CCCCXXXII. Fig. 4, 5. Male.

      Tail of moderate length, straight, slightly rounded; wings rather short, much rounded, fourth quill longest, outer three abruptly cut out on the inner web, the first with its filaments thickened but not recurvate, those of the second and third also thickened toward the end. General colour of the upper parts olivaceous brown; the head with numerous small, roundish, yellowish-white spots margined with dusky, of which there are two on each feather; the rest of the upper parts marked with larger, angular, whitish spots; the quills generally with three small and five large white spots on the outer and inner webs; the tail barred with transversely oblong white spots, of which there are seven pairs on the middle feathers. Facial disk brown, spotted with white; throat white, then a transverse brown band, succeeded by white; the lower parts white, with longitudinal brownish-black streaks, the sides brown, faintly spotted with paler. Young with the upper parts rufous, the head with fewer and smaller white spots; those on the lower part of the hind neck very large; the back, scapulars, and wing-coverts unspotted; the wings marked as in the adult, but with pale red spots in the outer, and reddish-white on the inner webs; the tail with only five bands of spots; the lower parts white, longitudinally streaked with light red, of which colour are the sides of the body and neck, and a band across the throat.

      Male, 7, wing 3^7½/₁₂.

      Columbia River.

      Cheveche chevechoide, Strix passerinoides, Temm. Pl. Col. 344.

      Little Columbian Owl, Strix passerinoides, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. v. p. 271.

      GENUS II. ULULA. NIGHT-OWL.

      Bill short, strong, very deep, its upper outline decurved from the base; lower mandible abruptly rounded, with a notch on each side. Nostrils broadly elliptical, rather large. Conch of ear very large, elliptical, extending from the base of the lower jaw to near the top of the head, with an anterior semicircular operculum in its whole length. Feet rather short, strong; tarsi and toes covered with very soft downy feathers. Plumage full, and very soft; facial disks complete. Wings rather long, very broad, much rounded, the third quill longest; the filaments of the first, half of the second, and the terminal part of the third, free and recurved. Tail of moderate length, arched, slightly rounded.

      32. 1. Ulula Tengmalmi, Gmel. Tengmalm's Night-Owl.

      Plate CCCLXXX. Male and Female.

      General colour of upper parts greyish-brown tinged with olive; feathers of the head with an elliptical central white spot; those of the neck with a larger spot; scapulars with two or four large round spots near the end, and some of the dorsal feathers and wing-coverts with single spots on the outer web; all the quills margined with white spots on both webs, arranged in transverse series, there being six on the outer web of the third; on the tail five series of transversely elongated white spots. Disk yellowish-white, anteriorly black; ruff yellowish-white, mottled with dusky; throat brown, chin white; lower parts yellowish-white, longitudinally streaked with brown; some of the feathers of the sides with two white spots; tarsal and digital feathers greyish-yellow, with faint transverse brown bars.

      Male, 11, wing 6¹⁰/₁₂. Female, 12.

      From Maine on the east, and from Columbia River on the west, northward.

      Strix Tengmalmi, Tengmalm's Owl, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 94.

      Tengmalm's Owl, Strix Tengmalmi, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 559.

      33. 2. Ulula Acadica, Gmel. Acadian Night-Owl.—Little Owl. Saw-whet.

      Plate CXCIX. Male and Female.

      General colour of upper part olivaceous brown; scapulars and some of the wing-coverts spotted with white; the first six primary quills obliquely barred with white; tail darker, with two narrow white bars; upper part of head streaked with greyish-white; disks pale yellowish-grey; ruff white, spotted with dusky. Lower parts whitish, the sides and breast marked with broad elongated patches of brownish-red.

      Male, 7¹/₂, 17. Female, 8¹/₂, 18.

      From North Carolina on the east, and from Columbia River on the west, northward.

      Little Owl, Strix passerina, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. iv. p. 61.

      Strix acadica, Bonap. Syn. p. 38.

      Strix acadica, American Sparrow Owl, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 97.

      Acadian Owl, Strix acadica, Nutt. Man. v. i. p. 137.

      Little or Acadian Owl, Strix acadica, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. ii. p. 567: v. v. p. 397.

      GENUS III. STRIX, Linn. SCREECH-OWL.

      Bill short, compressed, deep, strong; upper mandible with its dorsal outline straight to the end of the cere, then curved, the sides nearly flat and erect, the tip deflected, with a rounded but sharp-edged point; lower mandible with the dorsal line convex, the sides convex, the edges arched, the tip obliquely truncate. Conch of the ear semicircular, extending from over the anterior angle of the eye to the middle of the lower jaw; aperture large, somewhat square, with an anterior operculum fringed with feathers. Legs rather long, tarsus long, feathered, scaly at the lower part; toes large, the first short, the inner nearly as long as the middle, all with series of small tuberculiform oblong scales, intermixed with a few bristles, and three broad scutella at the end. Claws arched, long, extremely sharp, the edge of the third thin and transversely cracked in old birds. Plumage very soft and downy; facial disks complete. Wings long, ample, rounded; the first quill with the filaments recurved. Tail rather short, even.

      34. 1. Strix Americana, Aud. American Screech-Owl.—Barn Owl.

      Plate CLXXI. Male and Female.

      Feathers margining the operculum with the shaft and webs undeveloped. Bill pale greyish-yellow; claws and scales brownish-yellow. General colour of upper parts greyish-brown, with light yellowish-red interspersed, produced by very minute mottling; each feather having toward the end a central streak of deep brown, terminated by a small oblong greyish-white spot; wings similarly coloured; secondary coverts and outer edges of primary coverts with a large proportion of light brownish-red; quills and tail transversely barred with brown; СКАЧАТЬ