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Eastern Screech Owl
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Eastern Screech Owl | ||||||||||||||
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 Eastern Screech Owl
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| Megascops asio (Linnaeus, 1758) |
The Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio) is a small owl.
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Adults have either rusty or dark grey intricately patterned plumage with streaking on the underparts. Small and stocky, short-tailed and broad winged, they have a large round head with ear tufts, yellow eyes and a yellowish bill. Rusty birds are more common in the southern parts of the range; pairings of the two colour variants do occur. A pale grey variation also exists in western Canada and the north-central United States. The color variations are referred to as "red-phase" and "grey-phase" by bird watchers and ornithologists.
Their breeding habitat is deciduous or mixed woods in eastern North America. Usually solitary, they nest in a tree cavity, either natural or excavated by a woodpecker; they will also use nesting boxes. They are strictly nocturnal, roosting during the day in cavities or next to tree trunks.
These birds wait on a perch on low limbs in open woods and along forest edges and swoop down on prey; they may also catch insects in flight. They mainly eat large insects and small rodents, as well as small birds. They are active at night or near dusk, using their excellent hearing and night vision to locate prey.
 Grey phase |
 Grey phase |
 Red phase |
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- BirdLife International (2004). Megascops asio. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- Owlpages.com description of the eastern screech owl with a map of its range and recordings of its calls
- USGS page for the eastern screech owl
- Eastern Screech Owl - Otus asio - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Eastern Screech Owl Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Eastern Screech Owl - eNature.com
- Eastern Screech Owl Information and Photos - South Dakota Birds and Birding
- Eastern Screech Owl videos on the Internet Bird Collection
[[Category:Otus