Size small; head large, with no visible ear-tufts; bill moderate, nearly
concealed by projecting plumes; facial disc nearly perfect; wings
moderate or rather long; tail short; tarsi and toes short and fully
feathered. A group containing not more than five species of small Owls,
four of which are American, and the other European.
1. Nyctale Richardsoni. Bonap. Comp. List., p. 7. (1838.) Richardson’s
Owl.
“Strix Tengmalmi. Gm.” Aud., Orn. Biog., IV., p. 559, and other
American authors.
Fauna, Bor. Am. Birds, pl. 32. Aud., B. of Am., pl. 380, figs. 1, 2;
Oct. ed., I. pl. 32.
The largest of this genus; wings rather long, third quill longest;
tail rather long. Adult. Entire upper parts pale reddish-brown, tinged
with olive, nearly all the feathers having large partially concealed
spots of white, especially on the back part of the head, neck behind,
scapulars, and rump; head in front with numerous spots of white; face
white, a black spot in front of the eye; throat with brown stripes;
under parts ashy-white, every feather with a longitudinal stripe of
pale reddish-brown, on the breast some irregular transverse stripes of
brown, and in some specimens the white on the sides and flanks
assuming the form of large circular spots; legs and toes pale
yellowish, nearly white, sometimes irregularly barred and spotted with
brown; quills brown, with small spots of white on their outer edges,
and large spots of the same on their inner-webs, somewhat disposed to
form transverse stripes, very obvious when seen from below; tail
brown, every feather with about ten pairs of white spots; bill light
yellowish horn-color; claws dark; iris yellow.
Dimensions. _Male._—Total length, 10½ inches; wing, 7½; tail, 4½
inches. _Female._—Larger.
Hab. Northern North America. Maine (Mr. Audubon); Canada (Dr. Hall);
Wisconsin (Dr. Hoy); Oregon (Dr. Townsend). Spec. in Mus. Acad.,
Philada., and Nat. Mus., Washington city.
Obs. Entirely a northern species, which, though common in the vicinity
of Hudson’s Bay, and on the Saskatchewan, may be regarded as of rare
occurrence within the limits of the eastern United States. It is,
however, found more frequently on the Pacific. We have never known an
instance of this bird having been captured in Pennsylvania. It much
resembles the European _Nyctale funerea_ (which has also been
extensively called _Strix Tengmalmi_), but is larger and different in
other respects.
2. Nyctale acadica. (Gmelin.) The Acadian Owl. The Saw-Whet.
Strix acadica. Gm., Syst. Nat., I. p. 296. (1788.)
Strix acadiensis. Lath., Ind. Orn., I. p. 65. (1790.)
“Strix passerina. Linn.” Wilson, Am. Orn., IV. p. 66.
Strix Dalhousiei. Hall MSS. Macgillivray ed. of Cuv. Reg. An.
Birds, pl. 8, fig. 3, name on plate (Edinburg, 1839).
Lath., Gen. Syn., I. pl. 5, fig. 2. Wilson, Am. Orn., IV., pl. 34,
fig. 1. Aud., B. of Am., pl. 199; Oct. ed., I pl. 33. Nat. Hist. N. Y.
Birds, pl. 11, fig. 23.
Small; wings long; tail short; claws slender. Resembles the preceding,
but is much smaller. Entire upper parts reddish-brown, tinged with
olive, on the head in front with fine central longitudinal lines of
white, and on the neck behind, scapulars and rump with large concealed
spots of white: face ashy-white; throat white; under parts white,
nearly every feather having a wide longitudinal stripe of pale
reddish-brown; under coverts of the wings and tail white; quills
brown, with small spots of white on their outer edges, and large spots
of the same on their inner-webs, very conspicuous when viewed from
below; tail brown, with about three pairs of white spots; bill and
claws dark; iris yellow.
Dimensions. Total length, 7½ to 8 inches; wing, 5½; tail, 2¾ to 3
inches.
Hab. The whole of North America. Canada (Dr. Hall); Wisconsin (Dr.
Hoy); Northern Ohio (Prof. Kirtland); Oregon (Dr. Townsend);
California (Dr. Gambel); Kentucky, Louisiana (Mr. Audubon). Spec. in
Mus. Acad., Philada.
Obs. This is the smallest Owl that inhabits the eastern and middle
States of North America, and is of rather frequent occurrence as far
south as Pennsylvania. Repeated instances of this little bird having
been captured alive in the city of Philadelphia, have come to our
knowledge. It appears to be strictly nocturnal, and when discovered in
the daytime, is generally quite bewildered, if disturbed, and apparently
nearly incapable of seeking safety by flight. The first specimen that
ever we met with, we killed with our gun ramrod. That was long ago, in
the bright days when natural history was the dream of our youth.
3. Nyctale albifrons. (Shaw.) The White-fronted Owl. Kirtland’s Owl.
Strix albifrons. Shaw, Nat. Misc., V. p. (not paged.) (1794.)
Strix frontalis. Lichtenstein, Trans. Berlin Acad., 1838, p. 430.
Nyctale Kirtlandii. Hoy, Proc. Acad., Philada., VI. p. 210.
(1852.)
Cassin, B. of Texas and Cal., I. pl. 11. Shaw, Nat. Misc., V. pl. 171.
Small; wing rather long, fourth quill longest; tail short. Adult. Head
and upper portion of breast and entire superior parts dark chocolate
brown; front and eyebrows white; throat, and a line on each side
running downwards from the base of the under mandible, white;
radiating feathers behind the eye dark brown; primaries dark brown,
with small spots of white on their outer edges, and large spots of the
same on their inner webs; tail dark brown, narrowly tipped with white,
and with two bands of the same; entire under parts of the body, legs
and toes reddish ochre-yellow; bill and claws dark; iris yellow.
Dimensions. Total length, about 8 inches; wing, 5¼; tail, 3 inches.
_Female._—Larger.
Hab. Wisconsin (Dr. Hoy); Canada, near Montreal (Dr. Hall); Western?
Obs. Within the limits of the United States, this handsome little Owl
has, as yet, only been observed by Dr. Hoy, whose specimens were
obtained at Racine, Wisconsin. It is alluded to as _Strix acadica_, and
accurately described by Dr. Hall in his MSS. “Sketch of the Zoology of
the district of Montreal,” though represented as of rare occurrence. It
is probably a northern and northwestern species.
In the paper cited above, Prof. Lichtenstein regards this bird as the
adult _Nyctale acadica_, and this appears to be the opinion also of the
Prince of Canino (Cons. Av., p. 54). It is about the size of _N.
acadica_, but of the numerous specimens of that species which have come
under our notice, not one has presented intermediate characters, or has
otherwise excited a suspicion that the two species were identical. We at
present consider them as distinct species.
We have no doubt that this bird is the _Strix albifrons_, Shaw, a
species which has been lost sight of for upwards of fifty years; but for
the gratification of students who may not have access to the necessary
books, we append the original descriptions:—
“Ferruginous brown Owl, paler beneath, with the forehead white, and
the remiges barred with black and white.
“The very curious and diminutive species of Owl here represented in
its natural size, has perhaps never been either figured or described.
It is a native of North America, and particularly of Canada. The
supposed female is destitute of the white forehead, which forms so
conspicuous a character in the male. It belongs to the division of
smooth or hornless Owls.”—Shaw’s Naturalist’s Miscellany, V. text, not
paged, accompanying pl. 171. (1794.)
The same species, and probably the same specimen, is described by
Latham, in General Synopsis of Birds, Supplement II. p. 58 (1801).
“White-fronted Owl, _Nat. Mis._, pl. 171. Size of the _Little Owl_.
Length eight inches; general color of the plumage on the upper parts
brown; the circle of the feathers round the eyes dark, fringed at the
back part with white; between the eyes and over the bill and the chin
white; the under parts from thence yellow buff; across the breast a
pale brown band; on the wing-coverts a spot or two of white; the first
five quills marked with a white spot on the outer, and the second
quills with the same on the inner margins; the first quills serrated
on the outer edge the whole length; the second quill the same,
half-way from the tip; tail marked as the quills; legs feathered; bill
black; toes dusky.
“This was brought from Quebec, by General Davies, in 1790, and with it
another much smaller, which he had in his possession alive; it
differed in being more dusky, and the circles of the face not fringed
on the back part; otherwise so like, as to be supposed merely
differing in age or sex. The General observed to me that this bird
frequently erected two feathers over the eye; but although I inspected
the specimens very narrowly, I could not observe any feathers longer
than the rest; which circumstance is also noticed in respect to the
_Short-eared Owl_.” (Latham, as above.)