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Background The Eastern screech owl inhabits woodlands and groves, open fields, parks and orchards from Manitoba to southwestern Quebec, the eastern United States as far south as Florida, and west to Montana, Colorado and southern Texas. In the west they prefer riparian woodlands, and in the east, woodlands near meadowlands and marshes. They also inhabit parks in urban areas. In summer the screech owl consumes insects that are active at night, such as moths and katydids, and spiders, crustaceans, amphibians, fishes, reptiles, birds and small mammals such as voles. In winter its diet is restricted to small mammals, including bats and flying squirrels. The mating call of the male screech owl can be heard in late winter in rural areas. Females choose nesting sites in tree cavities, woodpecker holes (particularly those belonging to the northern flicker or pileated woodpecker) or abandoned bird houses, to which they may return year after year. The openings are usually three to five inches in diameter and are sometimes 30 feet off the ground. Females lay between three and seven small white eggs, which she incubates for approximately 26 days. The male hunts and brings food to the female during this period, and once the owlets hatch, both parents feed them until they leave the nest. Eastern screech owls can be aggressive when they sense a threat to their nesting area, and are even more fiercely protective than larger raptors, possibly due to heavy predation of their nests by raccoons and other mammals. Although populations of the eastern screech owl are declining in its western range, they are stable in the east.
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Otus
asio, the Eastern screech owl, is a small nocturnal raptor, approximately
7 to 10 inches tall. Its large ear tufts, white brows, and yellow beak
and eyes give it the appearance of a juvenile Great Horned Owl. Although
common to the Chesapeake Bay watershed, this screech owl is rarely glimpsed
and is best identified by its distinctive call, which varies from a
low whistle or whinny to a hoot. It has red and gray color phases, and
the sexes have similar plumage. 
