Eastern screech owl facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The eastern screech owl (Megascops asio) is a small owl. It is quite common in eastern North America, from Mexico to Canada. This owl lives in most wooded areas. It has learned to live well near human homes and cities. However, it is hard to spot because it only comes out at night.

Quick facts for kids Eastern screech owl Temporal range: These owls have lived from the Late Pleistocene until now.

Eastern screech-owl – gray color

Rufous (reddish-brown) color
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Genus:	Megascops
Species:	asio
Subspecies
See below for different types.

What Eastern Screech Owls Look Like
- How to Tell Them Apart from Other Owls
- Different Types of Eastern Screech Owls
Where Eastern Screech Owls Live
How Eastern Screech Owls Behave
- How Eastern Screech Owls Have Babies
- What Eastern Screech Owls Eat
How Eastern Screech Owls Die
Images for kids
See also

What Eastern Screech Owls Look Like

A drawing of the owl by Audubon

Adult owls are about 16 to 25 centimeters (6 to 10 inches) long. They weigh between 121 and 244 grams (4 to 8.6 ounces). Their wingspan can be from 46 to 61 centimeters (18 to 24 inches). Female owls are usually a bit heavier than males.

These owls have feathers that are either rusty (reddish-brown) or dark gray. Their feathers have complex patterns with streaks on their undersides. They are stocky birds with short tails and wide wings. They have a large, round head with ear tufts that stick up. Their eyes are yellow, and their beak is yellowish. Their feet are strong and usually covered in feathers.

An Eastern Screech Owl (gray color) in Canada

Eastern screech owls come in two main colors. These are called "red morphs" (rusty or reddish-brown) and "gray morphs." The gray owls blend in very well with the bark of trees. The red owls can hide in pine trees or colorful autumn leaves. Red owls are more common in the southern parts of their range.

How to Tell Them Apart from Other Owls

The western screech owl looks very similar to the eastern screech owl. However, western screech owls are always gray. They do not have red colors. The best way to tell them apart is by their beak color. Eastern screech owls have olive-yellow beaks. Western screech owls have darker, often black-gray beaks. Their calls also sound different.

Other small owls, like the northern saw-whet owl, are even smaller. They do not have ear tufts. They also have a more defined face and are browner. This makes them easy to tell apart from the eastern screech owl.

Different Types of Eastern Screech Owls

There are five main types, or subspecies, of the eastern screech owl. These types can look a bit different depending on where they live. For example, owls in the north tend to be larger. Their colors can also change to help them blend in with their local habitat.

M. a. asio: This type lives from eastern Minnesota to northern South Carolina. They are usually cold gray, and many are red.
M. a. maxwelliae: Found from central Montana to western Kansas. These owls are a paler gray. Red ones are rare. They are the largest type in size.
M. a. hasbroucki: Lives from the Oklahoma panhandle to central Texas. These are buffy gray, and red ones are rare.
M. a. mccallii: Found from southern Texas to northern Coahuila, Mexico. These owls have fine, dense patterns on their feathers. They are smaller than the northern types.
M. a. floridanus: Lives in Florida and southern Georgia to western Louisiana. These owls are often rusty-brown. They are the smallest type of eastern screech owl.

Where Eastern Screech Owls Live

Screech owls can easily hide during the day. They blend in with the bark of trees.

Eastern screech owls live in many places. They like open woodlands, forests, and parks. They can also be found in suburban areas with trees. They often live near streams and wetlands. They avoid areas where larger owls, like great horned owls, are common.

These owls are very good at living near people. They can even live in busy towns. They might nest in trees in neighborhoods or city yards. In cities, they eat small animals like house sparrows and mice. They also eat lizards and large insects like cicadas.

Eastern screech owls usually rest during the day in holes in large trees. They can also rest behind loose boards on buildings or in dense tree leaves. They live across the eastern part of North America. They are found from sea level up to about 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) high in some mountains.

How Eastern Screech Owls Behave

Eastern screech owls are active only at night. During the day, they rest in tree holes or next to tree trunks. They are common, even in neighborhoods. But it's hard to see them because they are small and blend in well. You are much more likely to hear them.

These owls often call at night, especially in spring when they are breeding. Despite their name, they do not really "screech." Their call sounds like a trembling whinny, like a tiny horse. They also make a steady purring sound that lasts a few seconds. Their voices are unique and easy to recognize.

How Eastern Screech Owls Have Babies

A young eastern screech owl

Eastern screech owls breed in forests in eastern North America. They usually live alone. They nest in a hole in a tree. This hole might be natural or made by a woodpecker. The hole needs to be big enough for the owl to fit, about 7 to 20 centimeters (3 to 8 inches) wide. They often use holes made by larger woodpeckers.

Orchards are good places for them to nest. They have trees with holes and lots of meadow voles, which the owls like to eat. Eastern screech owls also use nest boxes that people put up. They might even take over nest boxes meant for other birds.

Owls do not build nests. The female lays her eggs right on the bottom of the tree hole. She might lay them on a layer of fur and feathers from old meals. Breeding pairs often use the same nest hole every year.

They start laying eggs around April. Eggs are laid every two days. The female starts sitting on the eggs after the first one is laid. A female can lay from one to six eggs. On average, they lay about four eggs. The eggs hatch in about 26 days. The young owls are ready to fly when they are about 31 days old.

The female owl does most of the sitting on the eggs and keeping the young warm. The male owl brings most of the food. They often store food in the nest when the babies are young. The male is smaller and faster, which helps him catch insects. Eastern screech owls usually have one group of babies per year. But if they lose their first eggs, they might try again. When the young owls are small, the female tears the food into tiny pieces for them. The female also defends the nest from danger. She can even attack humans if they get too close.

What Eastern Screech Owls Eat

A drawing by Fuertes showing a red and a gray screech owl

Eastern screech owls hunt from dusk until dawn. They do most of their hunting in the first few hours after dark. They use their sharp hearing and vision to find food. These owls usually hunt from a perch, then swoop down to catch their prey. Sometimes, they fly through treetops or hover to catch food.

They hunt in open woodlands, near fields, or wetlands. When they see prey, they dive quickly and grab it with their strong talons. Small prey is usually swallowed whole. Larger prey is carried to a perch and torn into pieces. An owl will often go back to places where it has found food before.

Their hearing is so good that they can find mammals hidden under plants or snow. Their ears are placed unevenly on their head. This helps them figure out exactly where sounds are coming from. Also, their flight feathers have special edges. This makes their flight almost silent. These features help them hunt in the dark.

During the breeding season, they eat many large insects. These include beetles, moths, crickets, and cicadas. They also eat crayfish, snails, spiders, and earthworms. In winter, small mammals become their main food. They eat shrews, mice, and even young rabbits. They also hunt rats and squirrels.

Small birds are also common prey. They catch birds like chickadees, sparrows, and warblers. They might catch these birds while they are sleeping or flying at night. They can even catch larger birds like mourning doves and pigeons. Sometimes, they catch small fish, snakes, lizards, frogs, and toads. They have even been seen fishing in cracks in ice during winter.

Studies show that their diet is about 41% mammals, 18% birds, and 41% insects and other small creatures. In winter, they eat more mammals. In summer, they eat more insects and crayfish. They eat less food per day in summer than in winter. This is because they are busy feeding their babies.

How Eastern Screech Owls Die

Eastern screech owls can live over 20 years in zoos. But in the wild, they usually do not live that long. Many young owls die, sometimes up to 70% of them. This is often because other animals hunt them.

Animals that eat screech owl eggs or young include Virginia opossums, American minks, raccoons, skunks, snakes, crows, and blue jays. Fox squirrels might also take over their tree holes, eating the eggs.

Adult owls have fewer predators. But larger owls, like great horned owls and barred owls, hunt them. These larger owls are the biggest threat. Hawks, like Cooper's hawks and red-tailed hawks, also hunt them during the day.

Sometimes, screech owls die from hitting cars, trains, or windows. This often happens when they are hunting near roads. They can also get sick from parasites.