How to Identify an Eastern Screech Owl

By eHow Hobbies, Games & Toys Editor

Instructions

Step 1:
Make sure that you are in a location that the Eastern Screech Owl resides. The Eastern Screech Owl lives in both rural and urban habitats, such as forests, parks and woodlands. Look for them in the eastern United States, and as far west as west Texas, Colorado and southern Canada.
Step 2:
Take note of the variable appearance of the Eastern Screech Owl. These birds can be gray, red-brown or brown-gray. The underparts of the owl are mottled, with a cross hatch pattern of red, brown, or gray on white. The upperparts are gray or red with prominent dark streaks. The Eastern Screech Owl has broad wings, a yellowish colored bill and a rounded, banded tail. The female Eastern Screech Owl has a similar appearance to the male. Juveniles have downy feathers.
Step 3:
Note the owl's face. The Eastern Screech Owl has a mottled face, with a prominent dark, black rim. Their eyes are small and bright yellow, and they have feathered ear tufts. The olive green or yellow bill is hooked.
Step 4:
Observe the size of the Eastern Screech Owl. This bird is only 7 to 10 inches long, weighs approximately .4 of a pound and carries a wingspan between 18 and 24 inches. Females are larger than males.
Step 5:
Listen to the Eastern Screech Owl's two calls; a mellow trill that lasts approximately 2 to 3 seconds and a descending whinny. Females also bark when defending their nest. Eastern Screech Owls are nocturnal birds, and they usually emit these sounds after dark.

Tips & Warnings

Don't confuse the Eastern Screech Owl with the Western Screech Owl. These owls primarily do not coexist, except in some places on the Great Plains of North America. The Western Screech Owl has thinner dark streaks on its chest than those on the Eastern Screech Owl. In addition, the bill on the Western Screech Owl is darker.

Resources

All About Birds from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

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