Eastern Screech-Owl

Megascops asio

Photo by wv_vireo
Location: Charles Town, West Virginia, USA

Identification

A small owl at 8.5 inches, Eastern Screech Owls occur in in 2 color morphs: red and gray. The gray morph is the most widespread over the eastern USA, but the red morph is frequent in the southeast. In Florida they are intermediate or brown.

Distribution

East North America from east Montana, the Great Lakes, and south Ontario to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, and further south to Tamaulipas in northeast Mexico.

Taxonomy

This and almost all Screech Owls in the Americas have previously been considered to belong in the same genus (Otus) as the European and Asian Scops-Owls, but a reassignment to Megascops have been accepted by among other authorities, the American Ornithologists' Union.

Habitat

Their breeding habitat is deciduous or mixed woods in eastern North America. Usually solitary, they nest in a tree cavity, either natural or excavated by a woodpecker; they will also use nesting boxes. They are strictly nocturnal, roosting during the day in cavities or next to tree trunks.

Behaviour

These birds wait on a perch on low limbs in open woods and along forest edges and swoop down on prey; they may also catch insects in flight. They mainly eat large insects and small rodents, as well as small birds. They are active at night or near dusk, using their excellent hearing and night vision to locate prey.

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