A courting male approaches a female while calling, then bobs and swivels his head and entire body, even slowly winking his eyes as part of this performance. The Eastern screech owl is a small owl that is found in Eastern North America. Although widespread, this nocturnal bird, like the Barn Owl and Eastern Whip-poor-will, often goes unseen and is best detected by its vocalizations. While the gray morph provides remarkably effective camouflage amongst the bark of hardwood trees, red morphs may find security in certain pine trees and the colorful leaves of changing deciduous trees. They feed on insects, crayfish, snails, spiders, earthworms, scorpions, leeches, millipedes, and centipedes. Five subspecies of Eastern Screech-Owl are recognized, varying in color, size, and voice. Their list is long, and includes earthworms, crayfish, insects, birds, mice and other rodents, shrews, and sometimes even bats. Eastern screech owls are carnivores. They feed on insects, crayfish, snails, spiders, earthworms, scorpions, leeches, millipedes, and centipedes. Their call is a tremolo with a descending, whinny-like quality, like that of a miniature horse. The bird's ears (as opposed to its ear tufts) are placed asymmetrically on its head, enabling it to use the differences between each ear's perception of sound to home in on prey. Pairs often reuse nest sites in consecutive years. They also produce a monotone purring trill lasting 3-5 seconds. Invertebrates are probably the most important prey items of eastern screech owls. Occasionally, they also hunt by scanning through the treetops in brief flights or hover to catch prey. Like other owls, Eastern Screech-Owls regurgitate pellets that contain indigestible fur and bones; finding these pellets beneath a tree may be one clue to an owl's presence. When prey is spotted, the owl dives quickly and seizes it in its talons. Due to the ferocity and versatility of their hunting style, early authors nicknamed these owls "feathered wildcats". (Audio: Call recorded in Edgartown, Mass. by Tim Spahr, XC286959. During nesting, the male brings food while the female broods the eggs and young; like the male Northern Saw-whet Owl, it often caches several days' worth of food for the nestlings. This eclectic diet sometimes includes worm-like reptiles called blind snakes, which the adult owl brings to the nest alive. Help us get results. They also hunt small mammals, small birds and sometimes small fish, small snakes, lizards, baby soft-shelled turtles, small frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders. Eastern screech owls are found throughout much of eastern North America, from Mexico to Canada. Like the Short-eared Owl, the Eastern Screech-Owl has an elaborate courtship ritual. Together, we can change the story for birds. This muffles the noise the bird makes when it flaps its wings, enabling it to sneak up on prey quietly. A clutch of 1 to 6 eggs is incubated about 26 days, and the young reach the fledging stage at about 31 days old. The same is true for vertebrates. Eastern screech owls are monogamous and form strong long-term pair bonds; however, sometimes males may mate with more than one female. (Scroll down to hear its voice.). They eat many kinds of mammals, including rats, mice, squirrels, moles, and rabbits. They frequently call at night, especially during their spring breeding season. Like most predators, Eastern screech owls are opportunistic hunters. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/286959. ABC's Bird-Smart Glass program offers a number of solutions to protect these little owls. The owl chicks eat some of them, but other blind snakes escape being a meal by burrowing beneath the wood chips, pellets, and other debris on the nest cavity's floor. Eggs are laid at two-day intervals and incubation begins after laying of the first egg. If you have a wooded yard, you might even consider building a screech-owl nest box. They nest in a tree cavity, either natural or excavated by a woodpecker, and may also use nesting boxes erected by humans. Eastern screech owls may even live and nest in spots such as along the border of a busy highway and on the top of a street light in the middle of a busy town square. They eat many different types of prey, including insects, mice, bats, other small mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. They tend to avoid dense forests, habitats frequently inhabited by Great Horned Owls, which readily prey upon the smaller screech-owls. Eastern Screech-Owls are permanent residents in a wide variety of habitats, particularly wooded suburban neighborhoods and parks, riparian areas, orchards, and woodlands near marshes, meadows, and fields. Song recorded in Atsion, NJ by Don Jones, XC1160. Eastern Screech Owl on The IUCN Red List site -, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_screech_owl, https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/155660662/152331179. They inhabit open mixed woodlands, deciduous forests, parklands, wooded suburban areas, riparian woods along streams and wetlands (especially in drier areas), mature orchards, and woodlands near marshes, meadows, and fields. Small owls mostly eat insects and other invertebrates. These owls hunt mainly from perches, dropping down onto prey. The Eastern screech owl's sense of hearing is so acute, it can even locate mammals under heavy vegetation or snow. For example the Eastern Screech owls eat beetles and crayfish along with mice, voles, shrews and birds while the smallest owl, Elf Owl, eat beetles, moths, centipedes, crickets and scorpions. When owlets are small, the female tears the food apart for them. This owl is often the victim of collisions with glass and vehicles. Eastern Screech-Owls nest in tree cavities, either naturally formed or old woodpecker holes. These owls mate for life, although they will seek a new mate if one disappears. The Eastern Screech-Owl's vocalizations include a distinctive, whinny-like call and a low-pitched trill, given during nesting season to maintain pair and family bonds, to attract mates, and during aggressive interactions between individuals. The Eastern screech owl's plumage ranges in color from gray to brown and to even red or rufous. According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Eastern screech owl is 560,000 mature individuals. These owls would feast upon almost anything that flies, swims, wriggles, or runs. A combination of sharp hearing and vision is used for prey location. During winter Eastern screech owls may hunt for fish at fishing holes made by people or cracks in ice at bodies of water. By December 31, 2018, ABC wants to raise $1 million for bird conservation. Eastern screech owls can imitate the natural movements of a branch; they sway back and forth to look like a tree branch hoping to stay unnoticed by a potential predator. Due to their small size and camouflage, Eastern screech owls are much more frequently heard than actually seen. In vertebrates, the favorite food of these owls are rodents and songbirds. Some of the small owls are also known to hunt and kill birds of their own size. Females do most of the incubating and brooding, but males also occasionally take shifts. Both males and females vocalize, although males tend to be more noisy. A recent study showed that screech-owl chicks grew faster and healthier in nests kept vermin-free by "helper" blind snakes. Our Bird-Friendly Life web page also suggests ways to protect birds and bird habitats. This information is used to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Small prey usually is swallowed whole on the spot, while larger prey is carried in the bill to a perch and then torn into pieces. 2. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/1160.).

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