Eastern Screech Owl (Otus asio)

Born: 1997

Gender: Male (presumed)

Acquired: May 10, 2000

From: Raptor Recovery Nebraska, Elmwood NE

Disability: Hit by car; missing right eye

Preferred habitats include mixed woodlands, deciduous forests, parklands, wooded suburban areas, riparian woods along streams and wetlands, mature orchards, meadows, and fields.

Eastern Screech Owls are monogamous and remain together for life. Some males, however, will mate with two different females. The second female may evict the first female, lay her own eggs in the nest, and incubate both clutches.

They are known to eat a variety of songbirds, including the European Starling. Despite this, starlings regularly displace these owls from nesting sites and take over the nests to raise their own brood.

A small owl that stands approximately 7 to 10” tall, the Eastern Screech Owl weighs approximately six ounces. Its life expectancy is 3 to 8 years in the wild, and up to 12 years in captivity.