What do screech owls eat

Forages at dusk and at night. Hunts mostly by watching from a perch and then swooping down to take prey from the ground or from foliage. Also catches flying insects in the air. Can locate prey by sound as well as by sight. Incubation is mostly by female, averages about 26 days. Male brings food to female during incubation. Young: Both parents bring food for young.

Adults may bring back small, wormlike Blind Snakes and release them in nest, where the snakes burrow in debris in bottom of cavity, feeding on insects there, perhaps helping protect the young from parasites. Young leave the nest about 4 weeks after hatching, are fed by parents for some time thereafter. Both parents bring food for young. Mostly large insects and small rodents. Wide variation in diet. Eats many beetles, moths, crickets, other large insects. Catches mice and other rodents, shrews, sometimes bats; also some small birds, lizards, frogs, spiders, earthworms, crayfish, many other small creatures.

Some catch many small fish. Courtship displays of male include bowing, raising wings, clicking bill. Male brings food to female. Mated pairs preen each other's feathers, call in duet. Nest site is in cavity in tree, including natural hollows and abandoned woodpecker holes; will also use artificial nest boxes.

Usually ' above ground, can be ' up. Learn more about these drawings. Apparently a permanent resident throughout its range. Especially in north, may wander somewhat in fall and winter. Need wildlife assistance? Search form Search. The Wildlife Center of Virginia. Upcoming Events November 19, - am to November 21, - pm. November 24, - pm to pm. Meet Maliah! Critter Cam Moderated Discussion.

November 30, - am. Hospital Cam. Critter Cam. Weight: They are light-weight with the adults weighing between 88 and 22 g [average weight g 5 oz ].

Mexican, gray Pacific, brown Pacific, Mojave and Great Plains have dark gray or brown plumage with streaks on the underparts. Bills: Yellowish to dark beaks resembling a sharp nose, rendering a humanoid face.

Western Screech Owls live for years longest recorded being 13 years in the wild and 19 years in captivity. They are found in the tropical, subtropical and temperate mountainous forests, countryside fields, gardens and parks, deserts, and shrublands of the USA, Canada, Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Costa Rica.

Both the Owls were considered to be the same species until the s because of similarity in their physical characteristics. However, they differ from each other by their voices. Western screech owls rarely emit screeching sounds. The WSO is active at dusk, night, or near dawn, and are almost blind in the sunlight, with their activities beginning minutes after sundown. However, the subspecies in the west of Washington are sometimes active on cloudy days.

Mostly found on treetops, they also forage on the ground. These birds do not migrate. Being opportunistic predators, they perch on tree branches, waiting patiently for an unsuspecting prey, and once found, swooping down upon it.

They eat small prey on the spot, carrying away larger ones for later. With excellent senses of sound and vision, they can easily locate the prey. These birds tend to exhibit aggressive behavior. Being aggressive by nature, they would attack humans while defending a nest site or capture a grouse for feeding their young. When threatened, the owl would stand erect, holding their ear-tufts up, slicking down their feathers and drawing them around their beaks forward to scare away the predators.

They would also squint their eyes swaying to and fro, imitating the movement of a branch. Monogamous by nature, WSOs pair before breeding, engaging in long-term bonds.