Have you ever ever heard an odd whistle within the night time generally?
It might have sounded much like a Nice Horned Owl with its hoo-hoots, however the place a Nice Horned Owl’s tune echoes, this one is a bit peculiar. It begins off with an identical hoo-hoot, however then quickly accelerates, sounding nearly like a cue ball bouncing on a picket ground earlier than rolling away.
In case you have heard such a sound earlier than, that’s the tune of the Western Screech-Owl. Regardless of its identify, you may discover that its tune is something however a screech. The Screech-Owl a part of the identify is extra apt for the Jap Screech-Owl’s tune with its whinnying trill. The 2 species have been thought of to be the identical up till the Nineteen Eighties due to their exceptional likeness and regardless of not screeching, the Western Screech-Owl inherited the misnomer within the break up.
Standing at a ‘mighty’ 7-inches to 10-inches tall, the Western Screech-Owl is an not easily seen, however frequent little owl of the west. It sports activities small ear tufts on its sq., stoutly head and friends on the world by means of giant, yellow eyes. Its grey plumage permits it to camouflage excellently in opposition to a backdrop of timber. When frightened, it would pull its feathers taut, inflicting it to mix in completely with tree bark.
It might be that you’ve got certainly one of these owls as your neighbor, however their nightly disguise retains you from noticing them.
Their eyes additionally assist them navigate the darkness, finding prey by sound in addition to sight. Western Screech-Owls will eat your regular owl-ish food regimen, equivalent to small mammals like rodents and bigger bugs like moths, however do not let their diminutive measurement idiot you. These owls are able to searching different small birds, lizards, snakes, and even cottontail rabbits! Their diets will change primarily based on the season and the situation. After consuming these creatures, owls will spit out a pellet, comprised of all of the bits and items they weren’t capable of digest. These pellets are one other telltale signal that these owls have made your neighborhood their native hang-out.
Some methods that you could be good neighbors again to those owls is to cease the usage of rodenticide, turning outside lights off when potential, and respecting their area after they do select to perch close by. Use zoom lenses when capturing photographs of raptors to make sure that they don’t really feel threatened by your presence. That is very true throughout breeding season, the place they create nests inside cavities, equivalent to a hole tree and even yard nest containers.
Subsequent time you hear a cue ball clattering within the moonlit distance, preserve an eye fixed out for these lovable little neighbors swooping round!
This articles was written as a part of Audubon Heart at Debs Park’s Fall 2025 Completely happy Owl-o-Ween publication.
