Megascops asio, commonly known as the eastern screech owl is a tiny owl found in eastern North America from Mexico to Canada. This owl, more than any other in its region, has adapted well to human development, despite its strictly nocturnal habits. Screech owl has piercing yellow eyes and large ear tufts. Nestlings are swathed in white down, a rich reddish phase is one of its two color variants.
Eastern screech-owls are recognized from their near relative western screech-owls, by their yellow charge, slipping trill call, and by the rufous coloration of a few people. They belong in the family of Strigidae.
Quick Overview: Megascops Asio – Eastern Screech – Owl
Body size: Around 7-10 in (18-25 cm) and weight of 167 g (5.9 oz)
Main colors: Gray, Red-Brown, Yellow
Range: Southeastern United States
Migratory Bird: No
Best time of the year to see in the U.S.: All Year (January – December)
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Eastern Screech – Owl Description
Females are for the most part bigger than guys, which is common in owls. Eastern screech-owls are dichromatic, they come in two particular color morphs. They are either consistently gray or consistently reddish-brown, with darker streaking on the body. Both color morphs make them exceptionally troublesome to recognize from encompassing tree bark. They have striking streaking on their breasts, yellow snouts and eyes, moderately huge feet with feathered toes, and expansive ear tufts on either side of their head.
Size
These owls have a length of 7-10 in (18-25 cm) and a weight of 167 g (5.9 oz). Their wings could range from 18-24 in (46-61 cm).
Feeding
Eastern screech-owls’ main foods are insects that are active at night like moths and katydids, earthworms, reptiles, and even small mammals like bats and mice. They hunt by sitting on a tree branch while waiting to hear or see their potential prey.
Habitat
They have usually seen foraging in woodlands, forests and parklands and wooded suburban areas, riparian woods, and other fields and meadows.
Behavior
Eastern screech-owls are not transient and regularly times a combine may keep the same settle, in winter and summer. These owls are single, but amid the mating season and amid winters when mates share a winter settle. Guys protect domains in which they keep up a few settling destinations. These owls primarily fly but bounce and walk on the ground when chasing prey.
Megascops asio Scientific Classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Subphylum: Chelicerata
- Class: Aves
- Order: Strigiformes
- Family: Strigidae
- Genus: Megascops
- Species: Megascops asio
Best time of the year to see
In the United States, the best time of year to see these birds is all year round, regardless of the season. This refers to any month of the year between January and December.
Distribution of the Barred owl in the USA
Eastern screech-owls are found all through much of eastern North America, from the Rough Mountains within the West to the Atlantic coast and from Florida and southern Texas within the south as distant north as southern Canada.
The XXX bird can be found in the following states in the United States – Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.