The Eastern screech owl readily takes to nest boxes and is fun to observe. Learn more about screech owls and how they can benefit your property.
Order your screech owl, or other nest box, from the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Howard Nursery, here: bit.ly/PGCHowardNursery
8 owl species in PA (barn owl, barred owl, GHO, short-eared owl (endangered), long-eared owl (threatened) , snowy owl, saw-whet owl
All PA owls are protected by the Game Law and federal regulations
The Eastern screech owl is the only small PA owl with ear tufts
In North America, Eastern and Western screech owls were considered a single species until 1983 when they formally were split. The red morph only exists in the East, where it only makes up 10% of the population.
Specs: 10” long, 22” wingspan, 6-7 oz in weight (males are smaller than females)
Dichromatic - come in gray or red color phase
Eyes: large retinas: 50-100x more efficient than human sight
Ears: owls hear sounds well below the threshold of human hearing
Owl feathers: leading parts of the feather allow owls to fly in complete silence
Vocalizations: during mating season to attract mates
May retain the same mate from year to year
Nests: screech owls are cavity nesters and will readily use a next box if properly placed bit.ly/PGCHowardNursery
Incubation begins immediately, so chicks appear to be different ages
March: 4-5 eggs, 26 day incubation, 1 month in the nest before fledging
Diet: Owl pellets can be studied to determine what the owl has been eating. ESO mostly eat mice. insects (grasshoppers, moths, beetles), mice, shrews, small birds, frogs, crayfish, flying squirrels.
Omnivorous diet allows Eastern screech owl to survive in many habitats
Vocalizations change in the fall to territorial calls that differ from the spring breeding calls
Telemetry research found that young disperse several km each night over the course of several nights
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Information from the Pennsylvania Game Commission's "Wildlife Note" series, and Sibley's Guide to Bird Life and Behavior
A film by Tracy A. Graziano, PGC Filmmaker