Screech Owl
Megascops asio
Status: Secure
Screech Owls are small birds that spend their day resting in tree holes and become active around dusk. These owls have short ear-tufts and bright yellow eyes. They can have a greyish-brown or reddish brown color.
Habitat & Range
Screech owls are commonly found in open mixed woodlands with tall trees. They prefer open areas so they easily spot prey from their perches. These owls are found mostly in the Eastern parts of North America in Canada and the U.S.
Food Web & Energy Flow
The diet of the Screech owl includes small birds, rodents, insects, and lizards. In order to spot prey, the owls use high perches like wires or phone poles to look for prey. The hunting usually starts at dusk and ends at dawn. Once the prey is spotted, the owls will dive down to the ground to kill it. They rarely capture their prey in the air, they will get on the ground and kill the prey with its talons. The screech owls are considered secondary consumers and carnivores.
Relationship to Fire
Screech owls rely on frequent fires to maintain a clear forest floor. Since the owls use high perches, like tree branches, to look for prey they need a forest floor that is clear and not overcrowded. With frequent fires, the understory would clear some plants making it easier to spot small prey.
Conservation Status
Screech owls are considered Secure and are found in abundance in different areas across North America. Although there are no major direct threats to the species, some minor human disturbance to their habitat has caused some of them to move to other areas.
Human Impacts/ Threats
Fire Suppression
Many people think of fires in the forest as bad, so they work hard to prevent or suppress them. But longleaf forests NEED regular fire to support habitat for the species that live there!
Land Use Conversion
Longleaf forests and the habitat it supports is being cleared or converted to use the land for other uses like houses, roads, agriculture, and even to grow different types of trees to sell.
Resources
Audubon. Guide to North American Birds
The Owl Pages. Eastern Screech Owl
Texas Parks & Wildlife. Screech Owl
