Eastern Screech Owl (Otus asio)
|
|
The eastern screech owl is our smallest and most common owl species. They roost (and in the spring, nest) in tree cavities throughout suburban Austin all year round. A screech owl will eat almost any small animal it can catch. There are two distinct color phases, brown and gray.
Eastern screech owls are much more often heard than seen, although I wouldn't describe either of their two most common calls a "screech." One call is a long, soft, steady trill that will first be heard just after sunset. The other call is a more piercing, descending trill that sounds to me like the whinny of an impossibly tiny horse. Much less commonly heard is the soft hissing sound that the mother screech owl uses to call her young.
class: Aves / order: Strigiformes / family: Strigidae / genus: Otus / species: asio
| site by larvalbug |
