Western screech-owl, Little horned owl, Dusk owl, Ghost owl, Mouse owl, Cat owl, Little cat owl, Puget Sound screech owl, Washington screech owl, Coastal screech owl
The western screech owl (Megascops kennicottii ) is a small owl native to North and Central America, closely related to the eastern screech owl. The scientific name commemorates the American naturalist Robert Kennicott.
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CrepuscularCrepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight (that is, the periods of dawn and dusk). This is distinguished from diurnal...
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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InsectivoresAn insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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PiscivoresA piscivore is a carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish. Piscivorous is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophagous. Fish were the die...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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Ambush predatorAmbush predators are carnivorous animals that capture or trap prey by stealth, luring, or by (typically instinctive) strategies utilizing an elemen...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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starts withWestern screech owls are small birds of prey native to North and Central America. They exist in several morphs: brown Pacific, grey Pacific, Great Plains, Mojave, and Mexican. All have either brown or dark gray plumage with streaking on the underparts. These owls have a round head with ear tufts, yellow eyes, and a yellowish bill. Their appearance is quite similar to whiskered and eastern screech owls, so it is best to identify them by their calls. Female Western screech owls are larger than males and northern populations are notably larger than southern populations.
Western screech owls are native to Canada, United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. They are permanent residents within their range and live in temperate forests, subtropical and tropical montane forests, shrubland, desert, rural fields, and even suburban parks and gardens.
Western screech owls are active at dawn, night, or near dusk, using their excellent hearing and night vision to locate prey. They hunt by waiting on perches and then swoop down on unsuspecting prey and also catch insects in flight; they may even walk on the ground looking for something to feast on. Western screech owls live in pairs all year round and communicate with each other using various calls. The primary call is an accelerating series of short whistles at an increasing tempo or a short then long trill falling slightly at the end. Other calls include barking, chuckling, and a high pitched screech.
Western screech owls are carnivores. Their diet includes mainly small mammals such as mice or rats, birds, and large insects; however, they are opportunistic predators and can even take small trout at night. They have also been known to hunt Mallard ducks and cottontail rabbits, occasionally.
Western screech owls are monogamous and form pairs; however, both partners may sometimes mate outside the pair. The breeding season starts in February or March and lasts until mid-May. During this time Western screech owls become very vocal and as a part of courtship, they perform duets and preen each other. Pairs often nest in holes in trees or cacti that were opened by woodpeckers. The female lays 2 to 5 white eggs and incubates them alone about 26 days while the male provides her some food and defends a small territory around the nest-site. Owlets are born blind and helpless. They fledge about 28 days after hatching and become completely independent from their parents 5 or 6 weeks later.
Western screech owls are common throughout their range, however, in some areas they do suffer from habitat loss, disturbances during nesting, and also collisions with vehicles and powerlines.
According to the All About Birds resource the total breeding population size of the Western screech owl is around 400,000 breeding birds. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are decreasing.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...