Western Screech-Owl

The Western Screech-Owl is a small, compact owl with prominent ear tufts and mottled gray-brown plumage (rarely a browner morph) that provides excellent camouflage against tree bark. It is nearly identical in size and shape to the Eastern Screech-Owl, and the two species occupy separate, largely non-overlapping ranges divided roughly along the Great Plains.

Its most distinctive feature is its voice: a series of short whistled notes that accelerate in tempo like a small bouncing ball, quite different from the Eastern species' descending whinny.

Key Field Marks

• Small size with prominent ear tufts
• Mottled gray-brown, bark-like plumage (rarely brownish in coastal populations)
• Yellow eyes and a dark bill
• Distinctive accelerating, bouncing-ball series of whistled hoots

Similar Species

• Eastern Screech-Owl: virtually identical in appearance; ranges do not naturally overlap, and voice is the most reliable distinction where ranges approach each other.
• Flammulated Owl: smaller with dark eyes (versus yellow) and found at higher elevations in coniferous forest.

Range

Western Screech-Owls are found across western North America, from southeastern Alaska and British Columbia south through the western United States into Mexico.

Habitat

They occupy a wide variety of habitats including riparian woodlands, desert washes with saguaro or mesquite, oak and pine woodlands, and suburban areas with mature trees.

Voice

The classic call is a series of short hoots that accelerate in tempo, often compared to the sound of a bouncing ball coming to rest, used in territorial defense and pair communication.

Hunting

Western Screech-Owls hunt at night from low perches, taking insects, small mammals, and small birds, and in desert areas sometimes taking prey as large as small rabbits.

Nesting

They nest in natural tree cavities, old woodpecker holes (including those in saguaro cacti in desert habitat), and readily use nest boxes. Clutches typically contain three to five eggs.