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Incredibly, the Western
Screech Owl is also known by these other names: Gray owl, little cat owl,
little dukelet, little gray owl, little horned owl, mottled owl, red owl,
scritch owl, shivering owl, squinch owl, whickering owl, whinnerying owl,
Aiken's screech-owl, Guadeloupe screech-owl, Kennicott's screech-owl,
California screech-owl, Pasadena screech-owl, Yuma screech-owl (Terres 1980;
Johnsgard 1988).
The map, to the right, indicates the range of
the Western Screech Owl. It is found from south-coastal and extreme
southeastern Alaska, coastal (excluding the Queen Charlotte Islands) and
southern British Columbia, northern Idaho, western Montana, northwestern
Wyoming, Colorado, extreme western Oklahoma, and western Texas south to Baja
California. Western Screech Owls also occur northern Sinaloa and across the
Mexican highlands through Chihuahua and Coahuila as far as the Distrito
Federal. |
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The Western Screech Owl is a small, nocturnal, woodland owl. They are
squat-looking owls that sit erect, with their plumage fluffed out, with the
feet and legs obscured, and distinct ear tufts raised. The eyes are bright
yellow and the bill is grey to black, with tufts of bristly feathers around its
base. The facial disk is bordered by black. The toes are yellow. Facial disks
are dusky white with fine grey-brown mottling. Overall, plumage is mainly
greyish variegated dark and light, resembling a tree bark pattern (great
camouflage!) with grey-brown narrow vertical stripes, bars, and spots on the
underparts, and barred wings and tail. |
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Females average
Length: 23cm (9.2")
Wingspan 56cm (22") |
Male average
Length: 21cm (8.2")
Wingspan 54cm (21") |
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Weights of different subspecies vary widely. In general, weights
decrease from north to south, from an average of 186g (6.5oz) for females and
152g (5.3oz) for males in a northern population to 123g (4.3oz) for females and
111g (3.9oz) for males in a southern population.
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Western Screech Owls are
nocturnal, hunting from dusk to dawn. These owls like other nocturnal owl
species seek daytime roosts where they sleep away the daylight hours. They hunt
mainly in open woodlands, along the edges of open fields or wetlands. They,
also, will make short forays into open fields, searching for prey mainly while
in flight, rather than from a perch. When prey is located, the owl dives
quickly and seizes it in its talons. They also capture flying insects on the
wing. Small prey is usually swallowed whole on the spot, while larger prey is
carried in the bill to a perch and then torn apart. The Western Screech Owl has
quite a varied diet including shrews, orthopterons, insects (including beetles,
larval moths & butterflies), birds, pocket gophers, voles, salamanders,
kangaroo rats, wood rats, pocket mice, bats, grasshopper mice, gophers, frogs,
locusts, and scorpions, crayfish, worms, snails, small fish, poultry, and
barnyard ducks. |
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Oh what big eyes you have! |
During courtship, males and females call
to each other in a duet as they approach each other. When together, they preen
each other's heads and nibble at the other's beaks.
Western Screech Owls nest almost exclusively in
tree cavities. Natural cavities are preferred, but they will also use old
Pileated Woodpecker and rotted-out Northern Flicker holes. Nest cavities are
usually 2 to 6 meters (6.5 to 20 feet) above the ground, but may be up to 15
metres (50 feet) up. Nests are almost always in deciduous trees such as oaks,
cottonwoods, maples, sycamores and large willows, but also in large cacti,
Douglas-fir snags, and junipers. One subspecies in Arizona nests exclusively in
saguaro cacti. The owls do not add nest material.
An average of 3 to 4 eggs are laid on natural
sawdust on the floor of the cavity. The eggs are laid every 1 to 2 days and
incubation begins after laying of the first. Females incubate eggs for about 26
days while males bring food to the nest. |
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Western Screech Owls mate for
life, but will accept a new mate if the previous mate is lost. Adults tend to
remain near their breeding areas year-round while juveniles disperse in the
autumn. Small territories around nest sites are vigorously defended by
males. |
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Enemies of the Western
Screech Owlinclude Northern Goshawks, Cooper's Hawks, Great Horned Owls, Barred
Owls, Spotted Owls, Long-eared Owls, Great grey Owls, Short-eared Owls, mink,
weasels, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, snakes, and crows. Cannibalism by other
Screech Owls also occurs. |
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Western Screech Owls inhabit a wide
variety of habitats. On the northwest coast, they can be found in humid
Douglas-fir, western hemlock, western red cedar, and Sitka spruce forests along
the edges of clearings, rivers, and lakes. Further inland they populate a
narrow ecological niche of lowland deciduous forests, especially riparian
woodlands along river bottoms. Southern populations live in lowland riparian
forests, oak-filled arroyos, desert saguaro and cardon cacti stands, Joshua
tree and mesquite groves, and open pine and pinyon-juniper
forests.
They avoid dense forests (too many Great Horned
Owls!) and high elevation forests. These owls require open forests, with lots
of small mammals and insect prey, and cavities for nesting.
Western Screech Owls like to roost in natural
or woodpecker cavities in large trees, but also in dense foliage of deciduous
trees, usually on a branch next to the trunk, or in dense conifers (they blend
right in!). |
Notice the raised eartufts - an
indication
of curiosity, fear or anger. |
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The natural habitats of
Screech Owls have seen substantial losses due to development but it seems to be
finding a home in parks and suburban areas (Johnsgard 1988). It is important to
remember that this little owl needs open forests to survive. Please think about
its needs when you think about moving out of the busy urban setting and into
the country. |
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