Birds
Screech Owl
Megascops · also called screech owls
A screech owl presses itself flat against a tree trunk, ear tufts raised, mottled plumage matching the bark so closely that it disappears in plain sight. Its name promises a screech and delivers instead a soft, descending trill, one more way this small owl rarely behaves quite the way its reputation suggests.
Overview
The screech owl, genus Megascops, is a small, bark-camouflaged owl found in forest and woodland across the Americas. It hunts at night from a perch, nests in existing tree cavities, and relies on asymmetrical ears to pinpoint prey in darkness.
A name that oversells the sound
Despite the dramatic name, a screech owl’s actual call is a gentle trill or whinny, a mismatch between reputation and reality that mirrors the owl’s broader talent for defying expectation, right down to disappearing entirely against a tree it is sitting on in full view.
Status
Least Concern collectively — widespread across forest and woodland habitat throughout the Americas, tolerant of some suburban wooded areas.
Screech Owl: common questions
Does a screech owl actually make a screeching sound?
No, despite its common name, a screech owl's call is typically a soft, descending trill or a horse-like whinnying sound rather than an actual screech, a vocal pattern that surprises many people expecting a harsher, more piercing call based on the name alone.
What are the tufts on top of a screech owl's head for?
The feathered tufts on top of a screech owl's head are not ears at all but specialised feathers, often raised during alarm or camouflage postures, possibly helping break up the owl's outline against tree bark, while the bird's actual ear openings are located separately on the sides of its head.
How does a screech owl manage to hide so effectively during the day?
A screech owl's mottled grey-brown plumage closely resembles tree bark, and by pressing its body flat against a tree trunk, often with its ear tufts raised to further break up its outline, the owl can become remarkably difficult to spot even when perched in plain sight at close range.
Why does a screech owl have asymmetrical ears?
A screech owl, like several other owl species, has ear openings positioned asymmetrically on its head, an adaptation that helps the owl triangulate the precise location of prey sounds with considerable accuracy, an especially useful trait for a nocturnal hunter operating in low light or complete darkness.