CommunityNews
Who Gives a Hoot?
By Cheryl Conley Board of Directors Lake Creek Nature Preserve
No taller than a pint glass and about the size of a robin, they blend seamlessly with their surroundings thanks to masterful camouflage. Eastern screech owls are highly skilled hunters and are more often heard than seen, emerging at dusk to hunt throughout the night. They have a whistling call rather than an actual screech, which they use to communicate and defend territories under the cover of darkness.
Eastern screech owls can be found throughout the Eastern United States, generally east of the Rocky Mountains. Their primary habitat is wooded areas and they prefer trees with cavities for nesting and roosting. It may be a natural cavity or can even be one made previously by a woodpecker. Don’ t be surprised if you find one has moved into your squirrel box or a nesting box you’ ve put up for another species. They’ ve adapted well to populated areas and are happy to call home parks and residential areas with mature trees as long as the trees are suitable and there is a food source.
Screech owls are carnivores and their diet consists mainly of small mammals like mice, rats, squirrels, shrews and moles. They will also eat small birds, insects, lizards, frogs and toads, worms and spiders. Being nocturnal, they need exceptional night vision for hunting. Their eyes are very large relative to their body size and are fixed forward in their sockets. Many other birds have eyes on the sides of the head. Although owls can’ t move their eyes, they have very flexible necks and can turn their heads almost 360 degrees largely expanding their field of vision. Their vision is binocular, meaning they use both eyes together and see the same object simultaneously giving them a three-dimensional view and enhanced depth perception. It helps them track their prey and adjust their movements in flight.
They can be either gray or a reddish-brown and both male and female look identical so you won’ t be able to tell the difference between them. Females typically lay 3 to 5 eggs that are laid at 2 to 3-day intervals and incubation lasts 26 days on average. Only about half of the eggs actually hatch. Interestingly, once the eggs are laid, the female will lose the feathers on her belly which is a hormonal response to egg laying. This bald patch is called a brooding patch and enhances the transfer of body heat to the eggs. The female leaves the nest twice, usually at dusk and again at dawn to stretch, preen and defecate. The male does all of the hunting
and delivers the prey to the female. During incubation, it’ s interesting to watch the movements of the male. He will roost between 14 and 20 feet away. During the hatching process, he’ ll move closer to the nest, even as close as 6 feet. Once all the eggs have hatched, he’ ll move farther away again. He continues to deliver food to the family either in whole or headless and it’ s up to the female to tear it into small pieces for the babies.
It takes between 24 and 32 days for the young ones to reach the fledgling stage. They may be on a branch or on the ground. They hop and flutter and work on their flying skills. They continue to be fed and protected by their parents for up to 10 weeks. During this time, they are learning to fly and to hunt. After 10 weeks, they are able to survive on their own.
As urban sprawl continues to wipe out our trees, suitable natural cavities can be scarce. You can provide a safe haven for these fascinating little birds by building a screech owl nesting box. Providing one is more than just a simple woodworking project; it’ s an impactful way to support local wildlife. If you’ re interested in building a nest box for eastern screech owls, here are a couple of reputable resources with detailed instructions and plans. I’ m sure there are several more if you want to do a web search.
https:// www. audubon. org / news / how-build-screech-owl-nest-box https:// shorturl. at / Icbe1 You can also find plans on You Tube.
If you’ d rather purchase a ready-made box, they are available on several sites but here are a couple:
https:// www. amazon. com / Screech-Owl-Boxes / s? k = Screech + Owl + Boxes
https:// www. wildbirdstoreonline. com / collections / screech-owl-boxes
PHOTO CAPTION: In January of this year, I hung a squirrel box and was surprised to see this little face staring at me a few weeks later.
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