The Screech Owl

Linking up with Chrisy at Living a Good North Coast Life for Reconnecting with Nature

Jim saw this Screech Owl in the woods at the Bowman's Club recently.  He said it's much smaller than you would think.  They're only about 10 inches tall.  There was a rotten tree near the pavilion and they needed to cut it down.  When they did, 6 little owls came out of a nest in the tree trunk.  They cut that chunk of tree with the nest and put it into the woods about 10 yards away and put the owls back into the nest, hoping they would survive.  The guys were pretty happy to see this little fellow in the woods!

I actually learned a lot about screech owls:  "Similar to other owls, the screech owl females are larger than the males of their species. They have a compact size and shape. The screech owls are small and agile. They are about 7 to 10 inches tall and have a wingspan of about 18 to 24 inches. They have prominent, wide-set feather tufts with bright yellow eyes. They have different brownish hues with whitish, patterned underside. This coloration helps them get camouflage against the tree bark. They have well-developed raptorial claws and curved bill. They use them as a tool to tear their prey into pieces that are small enough for them to swallow. They tend to carry their prey to the nest and then eat it.

Screech owls hunt from perches in semi-open landscapes. They prefer areas which contain old trees with hollows; these are home to their prey which includes insects, reptiles, small mammals such as bats and mice and other small birds. Screech-owls have a good sense of hearing which helps them locate their prey in any habitat. They also possess well-developed raptorial claws and a curved bill, both of which are used for tearing their prey into pieces small enough to swallow easily. They usually carry their prey back to their nests, presumably to guard against the chance of losing their meal to a larger raptor.

Screech owls are primarily solitary. During the late-winter breeding season, however, males make nests in cavities, sometimes reusing abandoned nests of other animals, to try to attract females. The females select their mate based on the quality of the cavity and the food located inside. During the incubation period, the male feeds the female. These birds are monogamous, with biparental care. The young of most screech owls are altricial to semialtricial.^[1]

The northern screech owls are found in Eastern States ec. New Jersey, New York, etc. The screech owls are named for their piercing calls. The normal territorial call is not a hoot as with some owls, but a trill consisting of more than 4 individual calls per second given in rapid succession (although the sound does not resemble screeching or screaming). They also have a kind of "song" which is used in courtship and, as a duet, between members of a pair. Calls differ widely between species in type and pitch, and in the field are often the first indication of these birds' presence, as well as the most reliable means to distinguish between species. The distinctness of many species of screech-owls was first realized when vastly differing calls of externally similar birds from adjacent regions were noted."

This video is kind of dark, but you can see their whole body vibrates when they 'speak'  - and look at the claws!  Definitely raptorial claws!