Eastern+Screech+Owl

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//Otus asio // Order: Strigiformes


 * __Husbandry Information__ **

Diet Requirements

 * In the wild, screech owls capture an extremely wide range of prey. The most favored are small rodents and deer mice, but other mammals include wood and Norway rats, chipmunks, cotton rats, squirrels, shrews, bats, and moles. Large flying insects, such as beetles, katydids, grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, mantids, roaches, cicadas, moths, horseflies, and dragonflies are also taken. Other prey that could be taken includes small songbirds, small fish, small snakes, lizards, soft-shelled turtles, small frogs, toads, salamanders, crayfish, snails, spiders, earthworms, scorpions, and centipedes.
 * In captivity, they are fed fuzzy mice, chicks, ducklings, pinkies, and crickets.

Notes on Enrichment & Training

 * Wild Screech owls often eat insects during certain times of year/when available. Mealworms make great treats!

=__Programmatic Information__=

Tips on Handling

 * Even though they are small, they are still a bird of prey, and extra care should be taken around their talons. Screech owl's feet/talons are strong enough to puncture through a human fingernail. Gloves should be worn at all times.

Potential Messaging

 * Don't litter! Littering attracts rodents to roadsides, and owls, like Screech owls like to eat rodents. Owls are very focused hunters and can be hit by cars when flying down to the roadside to catch their dinner.

=__Acquisition Information__=
 * Many native owls, unfortunately, often get injured in the wild. Common injuries for Screech owls seem to include either being hit by cars or being cut down in a tree while nesting/roosting inside. Rehabilitated Screech owls seem to adapt well to being program animals.

=__Comments from the Rating System__=
 * Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park: As far as owls go, this is our smallest, and she's wonderful! So easy to house, transport, train volunteers to handle, and well-behaved!
 * Zoo New England, Stone Zoo: Great little bird of prey! All the features without giant talons.

=__Natural History Information__=

Range and Habitat
Screech owls are found from southeast Alaska and southern Canada to central Mexico. They prefer woodlands, farm groves, and shade trees. They avoid dense forests due to the risk of predation by great horned owls.

Physical Description
There are two color phases: red and grey. The adult grey phase owls have facial disks that are dusky white with fine grey-brown mottling bordered by black. The iris is bright yellow and the bill is grey-green, with tufts of bristly feathers around its base. The body is generally grey-brown with grey narrow vertical stripes, bars, and spots on underparts. The wings and tail are barred, the legs are light cinnamon buff, and the toes are yellow. The red phase is colored similarly, except with a cinnamon coloration instead of grey. The face is a plain light cinnamon and there is whitish plumage on the chest area. Feather tufts are located on top of the head - these are not the owl's ears. Large ears are found beneath feathers and are offset on the sides of the head. The average size of the eastern screech owl is 8 to 10 inches long with a wingspan of 21 to 22 inches. They weigh about 7 ounces.

Life Cycle
Screech owls nest in tree cavities and will lay 3 to 5 roundish white eggs in a clutch. The eggs are incubated for 28 days by the female with the male's assistance. Screech owls mate for life. In the wild, screech owls average about 6 to 8 years. In captivity, most screech owls can reach over 20 years.

Behavior
Nocturnal and secretive, screech owls spend the day in tree hollows or crevices of old buildings. Vocalizations are a series of quavering whistles, a whinny-like calls, a muted trill, or a wailing sound which gives them their common name.

Threats and Conservation Status
Larger birds of prey will eat adults and young screech owls, while raccoons, opossums, snakes and domestic cats prey upon hatchlings and eggs. Other screech owls will also each the screech owl. This owl is very common and has no special status.

Prejudices against birds of prey still persist among many who wrongly believe that they harm wildlife or present major threats to domestic animals. Biological studies have documented their ecological importance as major controls on rodent populations. Some birds of prey feed on snakes, insects or other potential pests. No species of raptor poses a significant threat to domestic animals.

Instruct guests to never litter, especially when they are in a car. Throwing trash out along the roads not only makes the roads less attractive, but can also attract animals to the sides of the road. Some of these animals might look appetizing to an owl, hawk, or other predator which are then more likely to be hit by passing vehicles. =__Did you know…__=
 * This owl's hearing is its primary hunting sense. The ears are offset (asymetrical) to provide acute hearing.
 * Other common names for this species are the ghost owl, the dusk owl, the spirit owl, the red owl, the mouse owl, the cat owls, and the little horned owl.
 * Screech owls are the only small owls with feather tufts.
 * Eastern screech owls are the second most frequently killed bird by moving vehicles, after American robins.
 * Like other owl species, screech owls can turn their heads almost 270 degrees. This movement is an adaptation because owls' eyes cannot move in their sockets like other animals.

=__Photographs__=

=__Contributors and Citations__=
 * The Philadelphia Zoo
 * Nancy Romanik, Education Program Manager - Zoo New England, Stone Zoo