Appearance

From Cramp 1985, Pyle 1997; others as noted.

Nestlings

First natal down (neoptile): short, dense, and buff-colored. Second natal down (mesoptile) starts replacing neoptile at 5 d of age; longer, denser, and darker brown with buff. Traces of neoptile seen on head until second or third week of life.

Juvenal Plumage

See Breeding: young birds. Prejuvenal plumage begins to appear at ca. 10 d of age; completed at ca. 25 d.  Down replaced by feathers; complete molt.

Description from Witherby (1941). “Feathers of body and greater, median, and lesser wing coverts of very loose structure, especially on crown, rump, and underparts. (Upperparts) crown and rump dark brown, feathers tipped buff; mantle same but also with incomplete buff bars, which in scapulars and wing coverts are more complete but do not quite meet in centre of feather; facial dish brown-black, feathers tipped buff and a greyish-buff patch at base of mandibles; (underparts) chin and throat brown, feathers with long buff tips; rest of underparts warm buff, feathers with narrow brown centres, except those in centre of belly, lower flanks, under tail-covets, and tarsii and toes, which are uniform buff.”

Basic I Plumage

Prebasic I molt partial, Jul-Oct; often begins end of 4th week and continues into 7th, replacing head and body feathers, usually by Aug (Pyle 1997). Thus more or less continuous with Prejuvenal molt. Plumage like Definitive Basic but Juvenal retrices and remiges retained.

Definitive Basic Plumage

Definitive Prebasic molt complete, rarely few secondaries retained. May to Oct, on breeding grounds.

Male. Facial disk whitish white/gray with some buff. Orbits surrounding eye dark-brown to black. Rictal bristles over mandible whitish and black; chin white. Facial ruff and forehead white, brown, and buff. Throat, chest, and upper breast feathers buffy with dark brown streaks; middle to lower breast feathers buffy/white with fewer and thinner feather streaks, belly and flanks white/buff with feathers streaks concentrated more toward flanks leaving pale lower belly. Thighs and feet white/buff, no streaks. Underwing generally buff/white throughout. Few shaft streaks on lesser, median, and greater under coverts. Distal end of 5 or 6 greater under coverts broadly tipped with dark-brown giving distinct underwing wrist (carpal) patch. Distal ends of outer primaries (p5 or p6 to p10) show distinct dark-brown tips, remaining primaries and secondaries show faint brownish barring. Body contour feathers of head and upper mantle streaked dark brown on tawny-buff or pale cinnamon-buff, shaft streaks dark. Colors on scapulars similar, but dark brown sub-marginal marks, occasionally showing white edges. Upper tail coverts buff with some light-brown barring, and few subterminal marks, shaft streaks white and dark. Rectrices buff colored with dark horizontal barring running the width of each feather. Central tail feathers, particularly center pair show brown blotching within buff area between 5–6 dark horizontal bars. Outer pairs of tail feathers (t3–t6) show white on inner or outer vane. Wings show similar colors dorsally, but some may show more white edging on secondary coverts. Alula and greater upper primary coverts with less buff, giving dark brown wrist (carpal) patch look. Primaries show buff window between dark wrist patch and dark barring on distal end of outer primaries (p6 or p7–p10). Bars become more numerous with dark mottling within buff areas as primaries ascend to secondaries. Inner secondaries and scapulars with more extensive mottling and sub-marginal marks. Individual primaries and secondaries show most dark-brown and buff coloration on outer vane and distal tips of feathers. Inner vane of same feathers show buff near dark shaft and predominately white throughout. Overall, perched bird covers all white areas and increases mottling for concealment and camouflage.

Female. Similar to male, but darker brown dorsally and rustier ventrally.

Plumage Variants

Partial albino killed in Connecticut, suffused with white throughout plumage (Sage 1883). In Minnesota, one reported with perfectly white breast, and much white on face and back (Barringer 1980). In England, Goddard (1935b) reported two color forms—gray and brown, the only report of its kind.

Bill

Cere black, maxilla hooked and with black rhamphotheca (sheath covering bill), mandible straight and with black rhamphotheca, nostril imperforate and oval.

Eyes

Pupil black, iris bright yellow (but brown or black reported for one owl, see Goddard 1935b), nictating membrane opaque, eyelids gray/black.

Legs And Feet

Talon coverings (podotheca) black, soles of feet light to dark yellow. Feet raptorial, hallux incumbent (on same level as other toes), fourth toe opposable and can be arranged in anisodactyl or zygodactyl positions.