Printed on the plate
“Burrowing Owl, Large-headed Burrowing Owl, Little night Owl, Columbian Owl, Short-eared Owl”
Burrowing Owl, 1. Male. | Large-headed Burrowing Owl, 2. Male. | Little night Owl, 3. Female. | Columbian Owl, 4. 5. Males. | Short-eared Owl, 6. Male.
Modern identification
Figure 1. Male. 2. Male.
Printed “Burrowing Owl, Large-headed Burrowing Owl”
Athene cunicularia
- Certain
- Owls · Strigidae
Why
Audubon's “Burrowing Owl” (Strix cunicularia, fig. 1) and “Large-headed Burrowing Owl” (Strix californica, fig. 2) are both today's Burrowing Owl
Sources
Featherframe havell.yaml; plate title from audubon.org; New-York Historical Society; Wikimedia Commons; Boston Public Library (Digital Commonwealth)
Figure 3. Female.
Printed “Little night Owl”
Athene noctua
- Judged
- Owls · Strigidae
Why
Audubon's “Little night Owl” (Strix noctua; S. passerina in the text, fig. 3) is the Old World Little Owl: his measurements and description fit it, he matched the skin to European specimens, and NYHS and the BPL agree. The skin was said to be from Pictou, Nova Scotia, and Ridgway queried it as a Saw-whet Owl
Sources
engraved legend; Audubon, Ornithological Biography v (1839); New-York Historical Society; Boston Public Library (Digital Commonwealth); Ridgway, Birds of North and Middle America vi (1914)
Figure 4. 5. Males.
Printed “Columbian Owl”
Glaucidium gnoma
- Certain
- Owls · Strigidae
Why
Audubon's “Columbian Owl” (Strix passerinoides, figs. 4–5), both drawn from one bird Townsend shot near Fort Vancouver on the Columbia, is today's Northern Pygmy-Owl
Sources
engraved legend; Audubon, Ornithological Biography v (1839); New-York Historical Society; Boston Public Library (Digital Commonwealth)
Figure 6. Male.
Printed “Short-eared Owl”
Asio flammeus
- Certain
- Owls · Strigidae
Why
Audubon's “Short-eared Owl” (Strix brachyotus, fig. 6) is today's Short-eared Owl
Sources
Featherframe havell.yaml; plate title from audubon.org; New-York Historical Society; Wikimedia Commons; Boston Public Library (Digital Commonwealth)
Who made the plate
Drawn from Nature by J. J. Audubon. F. R. S. F. L. S.Engraved. Printed and Coloured by Robt. Havell 1838.
- John James Audubon drew
- Robert Havell Jr. engraved, printed and coloured
As the credit line gives it. More on who made these plates.
