A Burrowing Owl from Crowley County with ear tufts??

[SeEtta Moss]

I noted in an earlier post that I birded in the La Junta area on Monday.  I didn't see it until I uploaded and reviewed my photos that I took of a Burrowing Owl that it appeared to have ear tufts.  I have checked "North American Owls: Biology and Natural History" (2nd Ed) by the well respected ornithologist Johnsgard and it said this species is without ear tufts.  I also checked a number of online birding resources including Cornell's 'All About Birds' and they all say this species is without ear tufts.  Well, there was one exception in a 1981 article "Adaptive Significance of Ear Tufts in Owls which listed Burrowing Owl as one of the species with ear tufts. Now one could maybe disregard this rather old single study except that it was published in the prestigious ornithological journal Condor.

I have uploaded two photos of this owl with what looks a lot like ear tufts onto my Birds and Nature .  So is this bird an anomaly? Are these not true ear tufts? Could an article that made it into Condor be in error about Burrowing Owls having ear tufts?????  I welcome suggestions, comments, solutions.

SeEtta Moss
Canon City
Personal blog @ http://BirdsAndNature.blogspot.com
Now blogging for Birds and Blooms magazine @ Birds and Blooms blog southcentral/