Screech Owl

Conservation Status:
CITES Appendix 2

Description:
The Screech Owl resembles a miniature Great Horned Owl with ornamental feathery tufts on the top of the head.  Two different color forms exist – some individuals have gray plumage, while some are reddish-brown.  Like all true owls, they have a flat face with eyes directed forward.  The head is large in relation to the body, and the neck is not noticeable.   They are 7 - 10” long, with females slightly larger than males. 

Range:
Most of North America, from southern Canada to northern Mexico

Habitat:
Deciduous forests and forest edges, open woodlands, cultivated land, and suburban parks and gardens

Diet:
In the wild, they will eat almost any animal that is small enough for them to catch, including insects, worms, birds, bats, amphibians, and small mammals.  In the zoo, they eat mice and bird of prey meat.

Life Cycle:
Screech Owls begin breeding in early spring.  They nest in natural hollows in trees, or in the nests of crows and smaller birds.  The female lays a clutch of 4-5 glossy white eggs, and incubates for 26 days.  The male brings food to the nest each night, often storing small mammals inside of the nest.  The chicks are blind at hatching, a condition that is rare among predatory birds.  They remain in the nest for at least one month, and are mature when they are one year old.  They can live up to 13 years in the wild.

Did You Know?

·        The Screech Owl’s color phases have intrigued scientists for over 100 years.  Some studies indicate that temperature and available vegetation cause one color form to be more common than the other in certain habitats.  The reddish-brown form is most common in the southwest United States, where temperatures are warmer and the trees used for roosting have a reddish cast.  The paler gray form has better camouflage in the north, where tree bark is more grayish.

·        Screech Owls are very well adapted to life near humans.  Their camouflage keeps them hidden from intruders during the day.  They are very protective of their young, and will dive and strike at people who wander near the nest. 

·        Screech Owls prefer more open woodland, and the thinning of the eastern deciduous forests has benefited them and allowed them to spread west.  Unfortunately, this change of habitat has had a negative effect on other owls, such as the Barred Owl and the Great Horned Owl.

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