Screech Owl

Megascops asio

Written by Kathy Richards

They can be either red phase or gray phase in color (can’t change) There is also a 3rd phase called the brown phase or morph. This has been described as a cross between the gray and the red phase. Their numbers have dropped 37% since 1966. However they are not picky about food and habitat so they are looked at as survivors.

Wolfgang Wander, CC BY-SA 3.0

HABITAT:

They prefer open deciduous forests with open understories that are also next to meadows, marshes or fields. They are not picky about where they live and can also be found in city parks, suburban areas and farmland. If it doesn’t have a cavity to nest in it will make its home in oak trees in the summer and conifers in the winter. The screech owl is found throughout most of New England. It is uncommon on the Cape and Nantucket as well as Northern NH. It does not nest in ME.

NESTING:

The screech owl is a cavity nester. It makes its nest 5-50 ft high in natural tree cavities and abandoned nests of the pileated woodpecker and flicker. It is also known to nest in bird houses. They lay 5-7 eggs and incubate them for 27-34 days. They eggs are laid between early April and early May. The screech owl has also been known to reuse nests.When nesting the female stays on the nest except for a brief time at dawn and dusk.

BEHAVIOR:

In winter, nest boxes and cavities are used as feeding stations and food caches.
They will aggressively defend their nest from intruders and attack any animal that attempts to enter the nest cavity. Their call is a haunting descending whistle with a low tremolo (whistled trill) at the end. When food is plentiful this owl has been known to cache food for up to 4 days. They are primarily nocturnal but will also hunt at dawn and dusk.

FOOD:

The primary prey of the screech owl is rodents such as mice and squirrels that are up to their own weight. They are also known to eat insects including crickets, grasshoppers,earthworms, moths, crayfish, snakes, fish, salamanders, downy woodpecker, and other small songbirds. They have also been known to go after the Norway Rat.

PREDATORS:

The Great Horned Owl, Barred owl, Snowy Owl, Long Eared Owl and occasionally the Barn Owl. Other predators include large hawks, mink, weasel, otter, raccoon, skunk, bobcat, domestic dogs and cats.

Occasionally the screech owl will attack a snake that is a constrictor and too big for the owl. The snake may manage to coil itself around the owls head and kill the owl by means of cutting off the air.