Quick Take
- Winter is peak owl romance: Eastern screech owls court and pair-bond in February, making winter the best time to hear and spot them.
- Soft trills, not loud hoots: Unlike larger owls, screech owls communicate with whinnies and gentle trills during courtship.
- Tiny but widespread raptors: About the size of a robin, eastern screech owls live across much of the eastern U.S., including urban and suburban areas.
- Faithful providers: Males bring food to females and chicks, while pairs are usually monogamous and often mate for life.
Humans aren’t the only ones with romance on their minds in February. This is the month when many species of owls, including the eastern screech owl, embark on their pair-bonding and courtship rituals. Unlike the booming hoot from the large great horned owl, eastern screech owls call to each other with whinnies and soft trills. Learn all about these little raptors and their fascinating courtship behaviors.
Eastern screech owls don’t make their own nests but look for cozy spots in nesting boxes or tree cavities.
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Winter Is Hooting Season
While many birds head to warmer climes for winter, most owls can withstand the cold. The best time to go owling is during winter when they are the most active, finding mates and establishing their bonds. Because owlets stay with their parents longer than other hatchlings do, owls need to get a head start on breeding. Owlets need the extra time with their parents to learn hunting skills, master flight, and grow big enough to be safe from predators and claim their own territory.
Eastern Screech Owl: Key Details
Eastern screech owls are found throughout much of the eastern half of the U.S., east of the Rockies. They are one of the smallest raptors in North America. At about 8 inches high, their size is often compared to that of a robin. You can identify them by their large head and prominent ear tufts. Eastern screech owls can be gray or red. Some people might mistake an adult eastern screech owl for a baby great horned owl.
These tiny owls live in many habitats, including forests as well as urban and suburban areas. If you’d like to attract a screech owl to your yard, try putting up a nesting box; you might be lucky enough to entice a breeding pair. Be on the lookout, as these birds are masters of camouflage and blend in well with their surroundings.
Courtship Displays of Eastern Screech Owls
Beginning in late winter, December through February, males return to their former breeding sites. Their nest may be a cavity in a tree or a man-made nest box. The male screech owl will roost in the nest or in nearby trees. Here, they hoot and call to reclaim their territory. In February, or sometimes into March, the females return.
Before breeding and egg-laying, the birds reestablish their bonds, or courtship begins if they are a new pair. The male bows, clicks his bill, and raises his wings. If the female is interested, she moves closer, and the two preen each other. The female then moves into the nest, and the male brings her gifts of food. They often call to each other through the trees with soft hoots and trills. This is the best time to hear their calls and observe their behavior.
Males Bring Food to the Females and Chicks
Around the middle or end of March, the female lays her eggs. Female eastern screech owls typically lay three to five eggs, which hatch in around 30 days. The female is the primary caregiver, but the male stays close by and brings food to her. Males are smaller than females, which is common among raptors.
If you have a nesting box or tree hollow in your backyard, keep your eyes peeled in late winter for a baby eastern screech owl owlet that might be peering out.
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Male eastern screech owls are also more agile and are responsible for hunting and bringing food back to the nest for the female and chicks. The male drops whole or headless prey into the nest, and the female tears it into smaller pieces to feed to the chicks. Baby eastern screech owls stay with their parents for a shorter time than those of other owl species. They will remain in the nest for around four weeks. Once the young are fledglings, the parents stay close by for another 8 to 10 weeks, bringing food and offering protection. You will continue to hear calls from both the parents and the chicks throughout the brooding season.
Do Eastern Screech Owls Mate for Life?
Eastern screech owls are monogamous and typically mate for life. However, there are a few exceptions. If a partner dies, the other owl will often look for a new mate.
Eastern screech owls usually lay around 4 to 6 eggs at a time.
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Although screech owls can live up to 10 years in the wild, they have high mortality rates. Therefore, if a mate goes missing, the remaining owl will seek out another in time to raise a new clutch of eggs. Ornithologists have also observed male screech owls mating with two different females at the same time. Occasionally, the new female has been seen evicting the original female from her nest, incubating the original eggs, and laying her own clutch.
