Wonders of Wildlife: Eastern Screech Owl

Eastern Screech Owl

Other Common Names: common screech owl, gray owl, little cat owl, whinnying owl, little horned owl

Scientific Name: Megascops asio

Found in Alabama: Year-round, Statewide

Diet: Carnivore (eats animals)

Eastern Screech Owl in Habitat
Flickr – Ashley Wahlberg (Tubbs)

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Classification

IDENTIFICATION

Adaptations

Life Cycle

Habitat Needs

Ecological Role

CLASSIFICATION

Scientists use basic traits to
group animals into different taxonomic
classes.

For a taxonomic classification chart comparing key traits of common backyard wildlife,
CLICK HERE!

What type of animal am I?

I am a vertebrate (an animal with a spine or backbone).
I am warm-blooded, so I can control my body temperature.
I have feathers on the outside of my body that keep me warm.
I breathe with lungs just like you.
I have 2 legs.
I have wings.

The Eastern Screech Owl is a BIRD!

IDENTIFICATION TIPS

Size:

The Eastern screech owl is the smallest species (specific type) of owl in Alabama.
Range from 6.3 – 9.8 inches
Weigh around 6-7 ounces
Wingspan is 6 – 7 inches
Females are slightly larger than males

Key Characteristics:

Can appear reddish-brown in coloration (rufous phase), gray in coloration (gray phase), or a mix between brownish red with gray
Dark vertical barring or streaking on chest and wings
Prominent ear tufts
Large, yellow eyes
Large head compared to body size
Short, stocky appearance

Young:

Similar in appearance to adults but are covered in finer feathers that are more loosely organized.
Coloration for both the gray or reddish-brown morphs (types) is more dull in young birds.

Eastern Screech Owl

Pixaby – MiniMe-70

Young Eastern Screech Owl

Dreamstime

PHYSICAL AND BEHAVIORAL ADAPTATIONS

PHYSICAL ADAPTATIONS

Eastern Screech Owls use camouflage:

The eastern screech own is able to camouflage (blend in with the surrounding environment) due to its coloration and streaked appearance.
They are active at night and rest during the day, so this camouflage helps them avoid being seen while resting in dead trees and other dark places during the day.
If spotted by a threat, they remain very still and rely on their coloration as a first defense.
They may also alter their position by squinting their eyes, turning their head, and even covering their face with their wing to better blend in with the surrounding tree bark.

Eastern Screech Owl
Pixaby – Kevinsphotos (Kevin)

Eastern Screech Owls are effective hunters:

Eastern screech owls are sit-and-wait predators.
They remain on a perch until they identify prey (animals they eat) using their keen sense of sight or heightened sense of hearing.
Owls have softened edges on their feathers, giving them near silent flight. This allows them to sneak up on their prey.
They use their strong talons (claws) to grab small live animals.
Owls swallow their food whole, so the portions of prey that cannot be digested such as bone, fur, and hair are coughed back up as a pellet.
They also cache (hide or store) larger food items in tree cavities.

Eastern Screech Owls are good climbers:

Owls have zygodactyl feet, meaning that they have two toes that face forward and two toes that face backward.
Birds with zygodactyl feet are excellent climbers.
When young birds fledge (leave) from the nest, they will often hop from branch to branch and use climbing as one of their main modes of movement before they are able to fly.
Adult owls also use climging when necessary.
Owls are also able to pivot one of their toes so that they have three toes facing forward and one toe facing the back which helps when perching or sitting on a branch.

Birds can fly:

Birds have feathers on their wings rather than hair like humans. Feathers are light, waterproof, and are adjustable for flight control.
Birds have lightweight beaks instead of heavy jaws and teeth like humans.
Most bones in their bodies are hollow or honeycombed, making them very lightweight. Some of their bones are fused for increased efficiency and lighter weight.
Birds have a larger and more efficient respiratory system than humans do since flight is a physically-demanding activity.

Birds can digest whole prey:

Birds do not have teeth and are not able to chew food. Because of this, they have a specialized part of their stomach, called a gizzard, that helps with digestion by grinding food.
The small stones, sand, and grit that birds pick up while they are eating are stored in the gizzard.
Once food is swallowed and makes its way to the gizzard, it is pulverized by the grit and stomach muscles.
Some birds like chickens, ducks, and turkeys have thick, muscular gizzards. Other birds that eat food items that are easy to digest, such as nectar and soft-bodied insects, have thin-walled gizzards.

BEHAVIORAL ADAPTATIONS

Eastern Screech Owls are nocturnal:

They are active during the night (nocturnal).

Eastern Screech Owls communicate with one another:

An Eastern Screech Owl’s call is one of its most distinct features and is one of the easier ways to identify if one is nearby.
It is most often heard in the fall and spring months.
It can be described as a trembling hoot or sometimes as a whinny, a pulsing high-pitched sound that becomes lower, similar to the sound a horse makes.
They may use this call when identifying a nest site, arriving at the nest with food, or to call nestilings out of the nest when it is their time to fledge (leave the nest).
They also make a separate call that sounds more like a screech or bark. This call is used as an alarm call if a predator (animal that eats them) or threat is spotted.

LIFE CYCLE

Life Cycle Stages of the Eastern Screech Owls

Nest:

Eastern screech owls are cavity nesters, nesting in chambers within old, dead wood.
They nest in old woodpecker holes or hollowed out tree stumps.

Eggs:

Females lay 2 – 6 hard-shelled eggs each breeding season.
Eggs white in color.
They are oval and are around 1.5 inches long and 1 inch wide.

Young:

Babies hatch after 27 – 34 days.
When they hatch, they are covered in soft down feathers and appear fluffy.
The female will remain in the nest with the young to keep them warm for 6 – 13 days.
The young remain in the nest for 26 – 30 days while the parents continue to feed them.

Life Span:

They can live up to 8 to 10 years in the wild, but most will not live this long.

Baby Eastern Screech Owl
Pam Winegar

HABITAT NEEDS

Natural Habitat Needs	Adults	Young
Food	Eastern screech owls are carnivores (eat animals). Eat insects such as crickets, moths, cicadas, and cockroaches. Feed on amphibians such as salamanders and frogs. They will eat reptiles such as snakes and lizards. Hunt for mammals such as mice. They will also eat birds such as American woodcocks, pigeons, and European starlings. They sometimes other invertebrates (animals without a spine or backbone) including spiders, crayfish, and snails.	Parents provide the young with the same food sources that they eat as adults. If the male brings back a food item that is too large for the young, the female will tear it into smaller pieces.
Water	They prefer habitats near water and will drink from freshwater sources such as streams and ponds.	Young receive necessary hydration from food items while still in the nest. Once they have fledged, or left the nest, they will drink from freshwater sources.
Shelter	Most commonly found living in deciduous forests, lakeshore forests, and suburban areas. They requires trees within any habitat. Will roost (rest) in hollowed out dead trees during the day.	Young remain in the natural cavity until they are old enough move around on their own, usually between 25 and 30 days after hatching.
Places to Raise Young	Nest in natural cavities in trees and stumps. They do not line the nest with any additional materials.

If you want to offer resources in your backyard habitat for this species, consider the suggestions below.

Backyard Habitat Needs	Adults	Young
Food	Do not remove any vegetation (plants) that supports insects, small birds, and small mammals as these are the main food source for eastern screech owls. Do not spray pesticides that might harm insect populations.	Parents provide the young with food sources until they are independent and can forage on their own. Provide vegetation (plants) that will support small birds, mammals, and insects.
Water	Provide a birdbath if a source of freshwater such as a pond cannot be found nearby.	Young receive necessary hydration from food items while still in the nest. Once they have fledged, or left the nest, they will drink from freshwater sources such as a pond or bird bath.
Shelter	Do not remove tree snags (standing, dead trees) and trees with natural cavities.
Places to Raise Young	Provide an owl nest box with a guard to protect the young from predators (animals that eat them). Do not remove tree snags (standing, dead trees). Do not remove wood piles as they will sometimes utilize the wood pile as a place to nest.

ECOLOGICAL ROLE

Animals play an important ecological role in the health of habitats and ecosystems.

Food Source:

Adult eastern screech owls are eaten by larger owls and hawks.
Eggs and young provide a food source for a variety of animals including black rat snakes, opossums, and raccoons.

Insect & Rodent Population Control:

Eastern screech owls play an important role in regulating the populations of night-flying insects and small rodents that they eat.
This is beneficial to humans, as some of these smaller rodents can carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans.

Symbiotic Relationships:

Eastern screech owls have been known to form a symbiotic relationship, one in which both species benefit, with certain ant species.
The ants benefit by feeding on food that has been stored by the owl while the owl benefits because the ants provide defense with stinging behavior towards predators (animals that eat them) or competitors of the owl.

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