Western Screech Owl
Encyclopedia
The Western Screech Owl (Megascops kennicottii) is a small owl
native to North and Central America, closely related to the European Scops owl
and the North American Eastern Screech Owl
. The scientific name commemorates the American naturalist Robert Kennicott
.
Length averages 22 cm (8.7 in), wingspan 55 cm (21.7 in) and weight 143 g (5 oz). Weight ranges from 88 to 220 g (3.1 to 7.8 oz). Females are larger than males and Northern populations are notably larger than Southern races. Adults are larger than Whiskered Screech Owl
s, with larger feet and more streaked plumage pattern.
There are several morphs: Brown Pacific, Grey Pacific, Great Plains, Mojave, & Mexican. All have either brown or dark gray plumage with streaking on the underparts. There is no red morph.
They have a round head with ear tufts, yellow eyes and a yellowish bill. Their appearance is quite similar to Whiskered and Eastern Screech Owls, therefore, it is best to identify them by their calls. They were previously considered to be the same species as the Eastern Screech Owl
.
, United States
, Mexico
, Guatemala
, El Salvador
, Honduras
, Costa Rica
, and Nicaragua
.
Its habitat
includes temperate forests, subtropical and tropical montane forests, shrubland, desert, rural fields and gardens and even suburban parks and gardens.
The Western Screech Owl (Megascops kennicottii) is a small owl
native to North and Central America, closely related to the European Scops owl
and the North American Eastern Screech Owl
. The scientific name commemorates the American naturalist Robert Kennicott
.
Length averages 22 cm (8.7 in), wingspan 55 cm (21.7 in) and weight 143 g (5 oz). Weight ranges from 88 to 220 g (3.1 to 7.8 oz).CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (1992), ISBN 978-0849342585. Females are larger than males and Northern populations are notably larger than Southern races. Adults are larger than Whiskered Screech Owl
s, with larger feet and more streaked plumage pattern.
There are several morphs: Brown Pacific, Grey Pacific, Great Plains, Mojave, & Mexican. All have either brown or dark gray plumage with streaking on the underparts. There is no red morph.
They have a round head with ear tufts, yellow eyes and a yellowish bill. Their appearance is quite similar to Whiskered and Eastern Screech Owls, therefore, it is best to identify them by their calls. They were previously considered to be the same species as the Eastern Screech Owl
.The Sibley Guide to Birds, by David Allen Sibley, ISBN 0-679-45122-6
, United States
, Mexico
, Guatemala
, El Salvador
, Honduras
, Costa Rica
, and Nicaragua
.
Its habitat
includes temperate forests, subtropical and tropical montane forests, shrubland, desert, rural fields and gardens and even suburban parks and gardens.
The Western Screech Owl (Megascops kennicottii) is a small owl
native to North and Central America, closely related to the European Scops owl
and the North American Eastern Screech Owl
. The scientific name commemorates the American naturalist Robert Kennicott
.
Length averages 22 cm (8.7 in), wingspan 55 cm (21.7 in) and weight 143 g (5 oz). Weight ranges from 88 to 220 g (3.1 to 7.8 oz).CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (1992), ISBN 978-0849342585. Females are larger than males and Northern populations are notably larger than Southern races. Adults are larger than Whiskered Screech Owl
s, with larger feet and more streaked plumage pattern.
There are several morphs: Brown Pacific, Grey Pacific, Great Plains, Mojave, & Mexican. All have either brown or dark gray plumage with streaking on the underparts. There is no red morph.
They have a round head with ear tufts, yellow eyes and a yellowish bill. Their appearance is quite similar to Whiskered and Eastern Screech Owls, therefore, it is best to identify them by their calls. They were previously considered to be the same species as the Eastern Screech Owl
.The Sibley Guide to Birds, by David Allen Sibley, ISBN 0-679-45122-6
, United States
, Mexico
, Guatemala
, El Salvador
, Honduras
, Costa Rica
, and Nicaragua
.
Its habitat
includes temperate forests, subtropical and tropical montane forests, shrubland, desert, rural fields and gardens and even suburban parks and gardens.
and Central America
, breeding in open woods
, or mixed woods at forest edges. They often use holes in tree cavities or cactus that were excavated by woodpecker
s.
. Their diet consists mainly of small mammals, and birds, and large insects. They are active at night or near dusk, using their excellent hearing and night vision to locate prey.
:
series by Kathryn Lasky
, Spoorn, the first liutenant to Skench, the evil Ablah General, is a Western Screech. Also, a much less prominent character, 47-2, is a Western Screech.
Typical owl
True owl or Typical owl are one of the two generally accepted families of Owls, the other being the barn owls . The Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy unites the Caprimulgiformes with the owl order; here, the typical owls are a subfamily Strigidae...
native to North and Central America, closely related to the European Scops owl
Scops owl
Scops owls are Strigidae belong to the genus Otus. Approximately 45 living species are known, but new ones are frequently recognized and unknown ones are still being discovered every few years or so, especially in Indonesia...
and the North American Eastern Screech Owl
Eastern Screech Owl
The Eastern Screech Owl or Eastern Screech-Owl is a small owl that is relatively common in Eastern North America, from Mexico to Canada.-Description:...
. The scientific name commemorates the American naturalist Robert Kennicott
Robert Kennicott
Robert Kennicott was an American naturalist.-Biography:Kennicott was born in New Orleans and grew up in "West Northfield" , Illinois, a town in the prairie north of the then nascent city of Chicago....
.
Description
Whiskered Screech Owl
The Whiskered Screech Owl or Whiskered Screech-Owl , is a small scops owl found in North and Central America.-Description:...
s, with larger feet and more streaked plumage pattern.
There are several morphs: Brown Pacific, Grey Pacific, Great Plains, Mojave, & Mexican. All have either brown or dark gray plumage with streaking on the underparts. There is no red morph.
They have a round head with ear tufts, yellow eyes and a yellowish bill. Their appearance is quite similar to Whiskered and Eastern Screech Owls, therefore, it is best to identify them by their calls. They were previously considered to be the same species as the Eastern Screech Owl
Eastern Screech Owl
The Eastern Screech Owl or Eastern Screech-Owl is a small owl that is relatively common in Eastern North America, from Mexico to Canada.-Description:...
.
Call
The primary call is an accelerating series of short whistles at an increasing tempo or a short then long trill falling slightly at end. Other calls barking and chuckling, similar to EasternThey also make a high piched screech.Range and habitat
The Western Screech Owl is native to CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, and Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
.
Its habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
includes temperate forests, subtropical and tropical montane forests, shrubland, desert, rural fields and gardens and even suburban parks and gardens.
The Western Screech Owl (Megascops kennicottii) is a small owl
Typical owl
True owl or Typical owl are one of the two generally accepted families of Owls, the other being the barn owls . The Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy unites the Caprimulgiformes with the owl order; here, the typical owls are a subfamily Strigidae...
native to North and Central America, closely related to the European Scops owl
Scops owl
Scops owls are Strigidae belong to the genus Otus. Approximately 45 living species are known, but new ones are frequently recognized and unknown ones are still being discovered every few years or so, especially in Indonesia...
and the North American Eastern Screech Owl
Eastern Screech Owl
The Eastern Screech Owl or Eastern Screech-Owl is a small owl that is relatively common in Eastern North America, from Mexico to Canada.-Description:...
. The scientific name commemorates the American naturalist Robert Kennicott
Robert Kennicott
Robert Kennicott was an American naturalist.-Biography:Kennicott was born in New Orleans and grew up in "West Northfield" , Illinois, a town in the prairie north of the then nascent city of Chicago....
.
Description
Whiskered Screech Owl
The Whiskered Screech Owl or Whiskered Screech-Owl , is a small scops owl found in North and Central America.-Description:...
s, with larger feet and more streaked plumage pattern.
There are several morphs: Brown Pacific, Grey Pacific, Great Plains, Mojave, & Mexican. All have either brown or dark gray plumage with streaking on the underparts. There is no red morph.
They have a round head with ear tufts, yellow eyes and a yellowish bill. Their appearance is quite similar to Whiskered and Eastern Screech Owls, therefore, it is best to identify them by their calls. They were previously considered to be the same species as the Eastern Screech Owl
Eastern Screech Owl
The Eastern Screech Owl or Eastern Screech-Owl is a small owl that is relatively common in Eastern North America, from Mexico to Canada.-Description:...
.The Sibley Guide to Birds, by David Allen Sibley, ISBN 0-679-45122-6
Call
The primary call is an accelerating series of short whistles at an increasing tempo or a short then long trill falling slightly at end. Other calls barking and chuckling, similar to EasternThey also make a high piched screech.Range and habitat
The Western Screech Owl is native to CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, and Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
.
Its habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
includes temperate forests, subtropical and tropical montane forests, shrubland, desert, rural fields and gardens and even suburban parks and gardens.
The Western Screech Owl (Megascops kennicottii) is a small owl
Typical owl
True owl or Typical owl are one of the two generally accepted families of Owls, the other being the barn owls . The Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy unites the Caprimulgiformes with the owl order; here, the typical owls are a subfamily Strigidae...
native to North and Central America, closely related to the European Scops owl
Scops owl
Scops owls are Strigidae belong to the genus Otus. Approximately 45 living species are known, but new ones are frequently recognized and unknown ones are still being discovered every few years or so, especially in Indonesia...
and the North American Eastern Screech Owl
Eastern Screech Owl
The Eastern Screech Owl or Eastern Screech-Owl is a small owl that is relatively common in Eastern North America, from Mexico to Canada.-Description:...
. The scientific name commemorates the American naturalist Robert Kennicott
Robert Kennicott
Robert Kennicott was an American naturalist.-Biography:Kennicott was born in New Orleans and grew up in "West Northfield" , Illinois, a town in the prairie north of the then nascent city of Chicago....
.
Description
Whiskered Screech Owl
The Whiskered Screech Owl or Whiskered Screech-Owl , is a small scops owl found in North and Central America.-Description:...
s, with larger feet and more streaked plumage pattern.
There are several morphs: Brown Pacific, Grey Pacific, Great Plains, Mojave, & Mexican. All have either brown or dark gray plumage with streaking on the underparts. There is no red morph.
They have a round head with ear tufts, yellow eyes and a yellowish bill. Their appearance is quite similar to Whiskered and Eastern Screech Owls, therefore, it is best to identify them by their calls. They were previously considered to be the same species as the Eastern Screech Owl
Eastern Screech Owl
The Eastern Screech Owl or Eastern Screech-Owl is a small owl that is relatively common in Eastern North America, from Mexico to Canada.-Description:...
.The Sibley Guide to Birds, by David Allen Sibley, ISBN 0-679-45122-6
Call
The primary call is an accelerating series of short whistles at an increasing tempo or a short then long trill falling slightly at end. Other calls barking and chuckling, similar to EasternThey also make a high piched screech.Range and habitat
The Western Screech Owl is native to CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, and Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
.
Its habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
includes temperate forests, subtropical and tropical montane forests, shrubland, desert, rural fields and gardens and even suburban parks and gardens.
Breeding
They are permanent residents of western NorthNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, breeding in open woods
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
, or mixed woods at forest edges. They often use holes in tree cavities or cactus that were excavated by woodpecker
Woodpecker
Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....
s.
Prey
These birds wait on perches to swoop down on unsuspecting prey; they may also catch insects in flightHawking (birds)
Hawking is a feeding strategy in birds involving catching flying insects in the air. The term usually refers to a technique of sallying out from a perch to snatch an insect and then returning to the same or a different perch...
. Their diet consists mainly of small mammals, and birds, and large insects. They are active at night or near dusk, using their excellent hearing and night vision to locate prey.
Subspecies
There are 9 recognized subspeciesSubspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
:
- Megascops kennicottii aikeni Brewster, 1891
- Megascops kennicottii bendirei (Brewster, 1882)
- Megascops kennicottii cardonensis (Huey, 1926)
- Megascops kennicottii kennicottii (Elliot, 1867)
- Megascops kennicottii macfarlanei Brewster, 1891
- Megascops kennicottii suttoni (R. T. Moore, 1941)
- Megascops kennicottii vinaceus Brewster, 1888
- Megascops kennicottii xantusi Brewster, 1902
- Megascops kennicottii yumanensis (A. H. Miller & L. Miller, 1951)
In popular culture
In the Guardians of Ga'HooleGuardians of Ga'Hoole
Guardians of Ga’Hoole is a fantasy book series written by Kathryn Lasky and published by Scholastic. The series, which ended in 2008 with the publication of The War of the Ember, has a total of fifteen books. Apart from the main series there are a few more books and spin offs set in the same universe...
series by Kathryn Lasky
Kathryn Lasky
Kathryn Lasky is an American author whose work includes several Dear America books, The Royal Diaries books, Sugaring Time, The Night Journey, and the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series.-Biography:...
, Spoorn, the first liutenant to Skench, the evil Ablah General, is a Western Screech. Also, a much less prominent character, 47-2, is a Western Screech.