Eastern Screech Owl

Otus asio

Taxonomy:
Class: Aves
Order: Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae
Subfamily: Buboninae
Genus: Otus

Length: 8-9 in.
Weight: 6-8 oz. (females slightly larger than males)
Wingspan: 20-22 in.

Common Names: quavering owl, trilling owl, whistling owl, demon owl

Etymology: otus (Latin) - "a horned or eared owl"; asio (Latin) - "a kind of horned owl"

Description: Eastern screech owls are found in two color "phases": red and gray. They are small tufted owls that are often mistaken for baby great horned owls. Eastern screech owls have a yellow or greenish yellow bill with yellow eyes. Like most owls, their legs and feet are feathered. Gray phase birds have varying amounts of dark or black streaks on their underside and dark mottling contrasting sharply with overall gray plumage. Red phase birds are similarly marked with red replacing the gray color. Intermediate brown phase is also quite common.

Flight: Rapid steady wing beats with occasional brief glides.

Voice: Screech owls make a huge variety of sounds, including territorial and mating songs. The two primary sounds are a whinny (or tremolo whistle) and a "bouncing" trill. Screech owls are also famous for the loud screech they will make in defense when attacked.

Habitat: Extremely varied, generally open woodlands close to fields and meadows, old apple orchards.

Distribution: Eastern screech owls are found in the eastern United States, including Texas and the Dakotas, and southern Canada.

Nesting: Like most owls, eastern screech owls do not construct a nest. They are cavity nesters, often using abandoned flicker holes or openings in buildings, and will nest in bird boxes. Pair bonding is monogamous and apparently lifelong. Screech owls generally lay an average of 3-4 white eggs, although they can lay anywhere from 1-8 depending on prey availability. They have an incubation period of approximately 26 days. Clutch size tends to increases as one climbs higher in gradation; also as you move from South to North and East to West. Fledging period is 30-32 days.

Food: Eastern screech owls typically hunt in a sit-and-wait method, using short flights to capture prey (averaging 6-10 feet). Most hunting perches are on open branches, farther away from the trunk. Females are more likely to perch closer to the trunk than males, possibly due to their larger size needing a thicker branch for support. Eastern screech owls also perch relatively low to the ground, probably to gain an unobstructed view and direct access to the ground. They will also choose higher perches when the moon is full, perhaps because the additional light allows them to hunt from higher perches. These owls are generalists, hunting everything from birds, insects, reptiles, small mammals, leeches and fish. Their success rates are higher when hunting invertebrate prey; eastern screech owls average a success rate of about 23%.

Baby Eastern Screech Owl Pictures:

5th week	6th week