Screech Owl Facts

In the dead of the night, you wake up from your sleep after hearing a strange sound. It is a plaintive, mellow trill that descends in tone like a horse whining. You wonder what it is may be? And you suddenly hear wings flapping outside your window. There is nothing to fear from this strange creature, it is just a plain old screech owl. The screech owls belong to the genus Megascops and are restricted to the Americas. Let us see more of the screech owl facts in the following paragraphs.

Screech Owl Information

Screech Owl Facts - Physical Description

Similar to other owls, the screech owl females are larger than the males of their species. They have a compact size and shape. The screech owls are small and agile. They are about 7 to 10 inches tall and have a wingspan of about 18 to 24 inches. They have prominent, wide-set feather tufts with bright yellow eyes. They have different brownish hues with whitish, patterned underside. This coloration helps them get camouflage against the tree bark. They have well-developed raptorial claws and curved bill. They use them as a tool to tear their prey into pieces that are small enough for them to swallow. They tent to carry their prey to the nest and then eat it.

Screech Owl Habitat

The screech owl habitat mostly includes semi-open landscapes with old trees with hollows. The screech owls have a good sense of hearing that helps them locate their prey in any type of habitat. They prefer habitats with oak, mixed pine and oak and sycamore. The northern screech owls are found in New Jersey, New York, etc. The eastern screech owl is found throughout the eastern states of America and southern Canada. The western screech owl is common resident of western US, Canada and Mexico.

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Screech Owl Reproduction

They are basically solitary birds and make their nests during the late winter breeding season. The male screech owls prefer making nests in cavities or even reuse the abandon nests of other birds. This is their way of attracting female screech owls for mating. The females selects their mate based on the best cavity or nest and the amount of food present inside. After laying eggs, the male is responsible of feeding the female during the incubation period. The screech owls carry out biparental care of the young ones and follow monogamy. They fledge only one young per year.

Screech Owl Diet

The screech owl diet consists of a variety of prey like small rodents, rats, insects, reptiles, small mammals like bats and rabbits and other small birds.

Eastern Screech Owl Facts

• The eastern screech owl is scientifically called Megascops asio.
• The eastern screech owl is the smallest species of owls in north America.
• It is gray, brownish gray or reddish brown in color.
• The eastern screech owls eat a variety of insects, small birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles.
• They normally have a clutch of about 5 young owls.
• The eastern screech owl habitat consist of forests, wooded swamps, cemeteries and suburban areas.

Western Screech Owl Facts

• The western screech owl is scientifically called Otus kennicottoo.
• The western screech owl was first described in 1867 and its names commemorates the American naturalist Robert Kennicott.
• When the western screech owl is scared or threatened tends to stretch its body and tighten its feathers. This makes it looks longer and thinner and many animals are tricked into thinking it is just a branch of a tree. Thus, making the owl a very hard to find bird.

These were some screech owl facts that will help know more about these amazing raptor birds. The screech owls are mostly preyed upon by cats, larger hawks, raccoons, weasels, skunks and snakes. Many times, passing cars and large vehicles tend to hit the poor birds causing their death. The average life span of a screech owl is about 3 to 7 years in the wild. When in captivity, the screech owl can live up to 20 years.

I hope you these screech owl facts have helped you understand a bit more about these amazing birds of prey. So the next time you hear a piercing call in the night, do not get frightened. It will probably be a screech owl preying on rodents in your backyard.