The eastern screech owl is 6.3-9.8 inches (16-25 cm) in length with a wingspan of 18.9-24.0 inches (48-61 cm).
Its body can be gray all over or a brownish-red color with dark streaks. Both colors make the eastern screech owl very hard to see against the bark of the trees where it lives.
It has large ear tufts, large yellow eyes, and a yellow bill.
With its camouflaging colors, the eastern screech owl is more often heard than seen.
The eastern screech owl can be found in almost any habitat that has trees with cavities for nesting. It is found in almost all habitats below 5,000 feet (1,524 m), including urban, suburban, and heavily forested areas.
The eastern screech owl can easily adapt to areas with people and will use bird boxes for nesting.
The eastern screech owl will eat almost any small animal, including rats, mice, squirrels, and rabbits. It also eats small birds such as finches, bluejays, doves, and woodpeckers.
The eastern screech owl also feeds on many invertebrates, including earthworms, insects, crayfish, tadpoles, and frogs. It even preys on bats.
The female eastern screech owl chooses a tree cavity for her nest. She doesn’t build a nest; she makes a depression out of the material already in the cavity. She usually lays 3-4 eggs but may lay as many as 7. She incubates the eggs for 26-34 days.
While the female incubates the eggs, the male feeds her and guards the nest. After hatching, the chicks fledge at 28 days but stay with the parents until they are 8-10 weeks old.
The eastern screech owl has a lifespan of 8-10 years in the wild.
An easy way to find an eastern screech owl is to listen for the commotion made by prey like blue jays, chickadees, and titmice. During the day, these birds swoop around the screech owl, alerting other birds that the owl is there and trying to get the owl to move to a new spot.
The eastern screech owl is very territorial. It has been known to strike humans on the head if they pass too close to a nest at night.
Support for NatureWorks Redesign is provided by:
The eastern screech owl is found in the Seacoast, the lower Merrimack Valley, and in smaller numbers in the extreme southwestern corner of New Hampshire.
The eastern screech owl is found throughout eastern North America, from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic coast. Its range stretches from southern Canada south to Florida and Texas.
NHPBS inspires one million Granite Staters each month with engaging and trusted local and national programs on-air, online, in classrooms and in communities.
