Western Screech-Owls are small owls that have squarish heads with dark outlines and visible ear tufts, and they are short-tailed. Their morphs are either gray, brown, or reddish-brown.
They have yellow eyes and yellowish bills. Their upperparts are dotted with white, gray, or brown streaks. Their breasts and bellies are pale with dark, vertical stripes.
Their coloring and pattern enable them to camouflage themselves against the bark of trees.
- Megascops kennicotti
- Length: 7 – 10 in (18 – 25 cm)
- Weight: 5.4 oz (153 g)
- Wingspan: 20 in (51 cm)
Range
Western Screech-owls do not migrate and are resident of western US states, western Canada, and northern Mexico all year.
Habitat And Diet
You can find Western Screech-Owls in environments as high as 6,000 feet. They live in forested areas, and open woods with a mixture of pine, oak, and sycamore, and may also be found in the desert, rural fields, and suburban parks and gardens.Â
Western Screech-Owls are opportunistic feeders and eat small mammals, birds, fish, insects, and even scorpions.
They are wait-and-see predators, taking their time watching from their perch on tree branches and looking out at the ground or water for their prey.
Western Screech-Owls Calls:
Their distinctive speeding-up hoot sounds like a bouncing ball coming to a stop.
Nests
Nests of Western Screech-Owls are usually abandoned nests by woodpeckers or any natural cavities in trees, cliffs, and banks. The female lays two to seven eggs and incubates them for four to five weeks.
When the eggs hatch, the female stays with them for up to three weeks, and then she hunts with the male.
Fun Fact:
While roosting during the day, Western Screech-Owls try to blend in with their surroundings, so they press themselves against the tree to be camouflaged against it.
