Eastern Screech-Owl - Ross Feldner

This diminutive owl's name is somewhat misleading as it does not really screech. It "whinnies" and calls with soft trills. Adults range from 6.5-10” in length and have piercing yellow eyes and prominent ear tufts. It prefers open mixed woodlands, parklands, deciduous forest and even wooded suburban areas and avoid areas known to have larger owls.

The Eastern Screech-Owl's call is a tremolo with a descending, whinny-like quality, like that of a miniature horse. It also produces a monotone purring trill lasting 3–5 seconds. It is strictly nocturnal and usually solitary, nesting in tree cavities, either natural or excavated by a woodpecker, particularly Pileated Woodpeckers and Northern Flickers.

The Eastern Screech-Owl is what’s known as an opportunistic hunter and has earned the nickname “feathered wildcat” based on its ferocity and versatile hunting style. It has the most varied diets of any North Anerican owl favoring large insects. But the Eastern Screech-Owl will also hunt small mammals and rodents as well as small birds such as sparrows, finches and swallows.