Eastern screech owl
| Eastern screech owl | |
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| Eastern screech-owl - gray morph | |
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| Rufous morph | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae |
| Genus: | Megascops |
| Species: | M. asio |
| Binomial name | |
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Megascops asio (Linnaeus, 1758) |
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| Subspecies | |
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See text. |
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See text.
The eastern screech owl or eastern screech-owl (Megascops asio) is a small owl that is relatively common in Eastern North America, from Mexico to Canada. This species is native to most wooded environments of its distribution and, more so than any other owl in its range, has adapted well to manmade development, although it frequently avoids detection due to its strictly nocturnal habits.
Adults range from 16 to 25 cm (6.3 to 9.8 in) in length and weigh 121–244 g (4.3–8.6 oz). Among the differently sized races, length can average from 19.5 to 23.8 cm (7.7 to 9.4 in). The wingspan can range from 46 to 61 cm (18 to 24 in). In Ohio, male owls average 166 g (5.9 oz) and females 194 g (6.8 oz) while in central Texas, they average 157 g (5.5 oz) and 185 g (6.5 oz), respectively. They have either rusty or dark gray intricately patterned plumage with streaking on the underparts. Mid-sized by screech-owl standards, these birds are stocky, short-tailed (tail averages from 6.6 to 8.6 cm (2.6 to 3.4 in) in length) and broad-winged (wing chord averages from 14.5 to 17 cm (5.7 to 6.7 in)) as is typical of the genus. They have a large round head with prominent ear tufts, yellow eyes and a yellowish beak, which measures on average 1.45 cm (0.57 in) in length. The feet are relatively large and powerful compared to more southern screech owls and are typically feathered down to the toes, although the southernmost populations only have remnant bristles rather than full feathering on the legs and feet. The eastern screech owl (and its western counterpart) are actually one of the heaviest screech owls, the largest tropical screech owls do not exceed them in average or maximal weight but (thanks to the eastern screech owls' relatively short tail) they are surpassed in length by Balsas (M. seductus), long-tufted (M. sanctaecatarinae), white-throated (M. albogularis) and rufescent (M. seductus), in roughly that order.
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Wikipedia