The Eastern Screech-Owl is a nonmigratory resident of open deciduous, mixed, or riparian woodlands that also resides in suburban gardens and parks. It occurs in eastern North America from eastern Montana and the Great Lakes region east to Nova Scotia, and south to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, and northeastern Mexico. Eastern Screech-Owls are nocturnal, roosting by day within dense foliage close to the trunks of trees or in tree cavities. These holes are also used for nesting, and nesting screech-owls are often found in clusters of several pairs fairly close together, even when adjacent suitable nesting habitat is not used.
To survive winter, Eastern Screech-Owls put on fat and cache food in holes. This food is not hoarded for long periods but is eaten while relatively fresh and replaced with fresh prey if possible. During winter, small mammals and birds, some as large as the owl itself, make up Eastern Screech-Owl’s diet, while in summer, insects are a major food source. Screech-owls can catch insects in flight with their bills, whereas other prey is caught in the birds' talons as they swoop down on it from a perch.
Description: The Eastern Screech-Owl is a robin-sized owl with short rounded wings, bright yellow eyes, and “ear tufts.” The ear tufts, which may be prominent when raised in alarm or inconspicuous when lowered, have nothing to do with the ears. The upperparts are solid foxy red or gray, with white margins on the scapular feathers forming a row of spots at the shoulder. The tail and flight feathers of the wings are barred. The facial disc is lightly mottled and has a prominent dark rim along the sides. The underparts are marked by dark streaks crossed with horizontal bars over a whitish background. The bill is yellowish or olive green.
