Western Screech-Owl

Western Screech-Owls are Fairly Common year round.

Habitat

Western Screech-Owls are common in open woodlands, forested streamsides, deserts, suburban areas, and parks. They tend to avoid dense forests without openings. Although they occur in a wide variety of habitats, they are most often found in deciduous or mixed forest microhabitats, often along streams. They commonly nest in cottonwood or big-leaf maple.

Behavior

Western Screech-Owls are nocturnal, although the owls of the Western Washington subspecies are sometimes active on cloudy days. Western Screech-Owls are aggressive for their size and can take even large prey such as grouse when feeding young. When threatened, Western Screech-Owls will often stand erect, slick their body feathers down, hold their ear-tufts up, and draw the feathers around their beaks forward. This posture allows the cryptically colored owl to blend in with the tree branch that it is perched on.