![]() Their plumage colors help them conceal themselves against tree barks during the day. The very color pattern of these owls is a kind of protection by ‘tree branch mimic’, a defense mechanism by camouflaging.This has not merely given them the opportunity to evade their predators, but also allowed them to burst down suddenly on their unsuspecting prey. The serrated flight feathers at the tips of the wings have given this owl the power to fly silently.They use their big, round eyes and keen sight to locate small movements at night.This owl has a great sense of hearing by which it can easily find its prey even under snow or dense vegetation.The female birds would also trill while asking the babies in its nest to come out and try flying.Īudio: The Eastern Screech Owl calls (mp3 sound clips) Adaptations They would also bark, hoot, scream, rasp, chuckle, and whinny.īoth males and females emit the “trill” song, which may be used for advertising nest sites, or even during arriving at their nest with food, or during courtship. Not only do Eastern Screech Owls screech, they also give trills that are very common to these birds. They also cherish lizards, frogs, spiders and some small birds.Įastern Screech Owl Nest Box Sounds/Vocalization Their list is long, and includes earthworms, crayfish, insects, birds, mice and other rodents, shrews, and sometimes even bats. These owls would feast upon almost anything that flies, swims, wriggles, or runs. Diet: What do Eastern Screech Owls eatĮastern Screech Owls live in a variety of foods in fact their diet is the most varied of any North American owl. ![]() The moment it comes across its prey, it would swoop down quickly to catch it from the foliage or from ground. They are mostly opportunistic predators and are skilled hunters, hunting mostly by keeping an eye from a perch. These birds can easily locate prey by sight as also by sound. The eastern screeches hunt in a sit-and-wait fashion. These creatures would use a variety of hoots and calls while communicating with each other. These screech owls mostly rely on flying during prey, however, they would also walk or hop on the ground while out for chasing their prey. While the males are territorial and are found defending their territories in which they usually take care of several nesting sites, the female birds would often re-use a successful nest site in consecutive years, while guarded by the males. Other than during the mating seasons, these owls usually love to live a solitary life.ĭuring winter time, the males and females pair together to make a winter nest. These birds are non-migratory and it is common for the owl pairs to live in the same nest both during the winter and the summer. Whereas the beaks of the Eastern owls are greenish-yellow, the Westerns have their bills that are dark gray.While the Eastern Owls have clear dark brown horizontal and vertical marks across their bellies and chests, their Western counterparts have these mark in a more subtle way.Primarily, it is the very voice of the Eastern and Western Screech Owls is one reason scientists have now classified them as two distinct owl species.Megascops asio floridanus (Ridgway, 1873)Įastern Screech Owl Vs.Megascops asio hasbroucki (Ridgway, 1914).Megascops asio maxwelliae (Ridgway, 1877).Depending upon the range and habitat, and some variations in color and calls, the Eastern screeches have been classified into five distinct subspecies: The rusty or copper colored variety is called the “red or rufous morph” and the dusky or gray variety is the “gray morph”. Normally they are found naturally in the wooded regions and boreal forests however, they are comfortable juxtaposing their living with humans as well, including the urban and the suburban areas.Įastern Screech Owl Photos Classification of Species In fact, they are practically found in all kinds of habitats below 1500 meters elevation. They are also open to using properly-sized, manmade nest boxes readily. They would frequently nest in natural tree cavities or even old woodpecker holes or those made by other animals, where many human residents might be unaware that they have an owl for a neighbor. These owls have the broadest ecological location of any other North American owls. Habitat: Where do Eastern Screech Owls live They are also found in northeastern Mexico. They are also spread across the Rocky Mountains in the West to the coast of the Atlantic, and from Florida and southern Texas in the south to as far as the northern regions reaching the south of Canada. These birds have a wide home range, and are found almost everywhere in the eastern regions of North America. Records show that they have lived for almost 20 years. ![]() While the oldest recorded Eastern screech owls have lived for about 14 years and 2 months in the wild, in captivity, their life expectancy is much higher.
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