Eastern Screech Owls
Scientific Name: Megascops asio
Screech owls are found all throughout North America. As you may have guessed, the eastern screech owls occupy the eastern half of the continent, while their slightly larger cousins, the western screech owl lives in the western half of the continent. Here in Pinellas County, we have one of the largest screech owl populations. Why? ...because we have an abundance of their favorite prey item: cockroaches. You may also know them as palmetto bugs. These birds are usually an instant fan favorite for that reason alone. Their size and good looks also factor in with the whole popularity thing, too, I'm sure.
If you have ever heard a strange whinnying sound around sunset or shortly after, it is most likely one of these guys. They also have a soft trilling call.
From time to time, we do have nesting boxes available at the Nature Center, but if you are looking for a project, check out Audubon's site of how to do it yourself and how/where to place it. They typically nest early in the year and the fledgling owls leave the nest shortly after spring ends.
Most species of owl rely on spaces such as empty cavities in trees and nesting boxes because they are not great at building their own nests.
In the wild, screech owls can live up to 14 years. In human care, most likely longer than 14 years.
Screech owls are found all throughout North America. As you may have guessed, the eastern screech owls occupy the eastern half of the continent, while their slightly larger cousins, the western screech owl lives in the western half of the continent. Here in Pinellas County, we have one of the largest screech owl populations. Why? ...because we have an abundance of their favorite prey item: cockroaches. You may also know them as palmetto bugs. These birds are usually an instant fan favorite for that reason alone. Their size and good looks also factor in with the whole popularity thing, too, I'm sure.
If you have ever heard a strange whinnying sound around sunset or shortly after, it is most likely one of these guys. They also have a soft trilling call.
From time to time, we do have nesting boxes available at the Nature Center, but if you are looking for a project, check out Audubon's site of how to do it yourself and how/where to place it. They typically nest early in the year and the fledgling owls leave the nest shortly after spring ends.
Most species of owl rely on spaces such as empty cavities in trees and nesting boxes because they are not great at building their own nests.
In the wild, screech owls can live up to 14 years. In human care, most likely longer than 14 years.