The Eastern Screech Owl was discovered and named in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist, Carolus Linnaeus; however, the Screech Owl had been known for years by various folk legends, most notably the Choctaw Indian legend. The Choctaw Indians say that if a screech owl was heard, a child under seven would die. Other variations of this legend say that just to hear the call of a Screech Owl means that someone (not necessarily a child) will die. These legends might stem from the fact that the call of the Screech Owl is a mournful sound that people would associate with death, but these are mostly folk legends and we know that these owls are nothing to fear.

In fact, the Eastern Screech Owl is one of the most common owls in the United States as they have adapted very well to the suburban environment. Their range goes throughout North America, from the Rocky Mountains in the west to the Atlantic coast and through Florida to southern Texas. Their habitat is quite diverse and includes coniferous forests, cottonwood bottoms, boreal forests, and urban environments. They are generally found in wooded areas, but have adapted well to urban and suburban areas and often use bird boxes for nesting.

The Eastern Screech Owl is also one of the smallest owls in North America. The average size for a female Screech Owl is 9.2 inches in length and 7.3 oz in weight. The males are a bit smaller, averaging only 8.2 inches in length and 7 oz in weight. Their wingspan is about 19-24 inches. These owls are also dichromatic, meaning that they have two distinct color morphs, either uniformly gray or red. Both color morphs make it difficult to see the owl when they are sitting in a tree as they will tend to blend in the with the surrounding bark. The owls also have have bold streaks on their breasts, yellow beaks and eyes, large feet with feathered toes, and large ear tufts on either side of their head that they can have stand straight up or they can put the tufts down.

These owls hunt at night, mostly from dusk until dawn, with most of their hunting done during the first four hours of night. They will hunt mainly in flight in open woodlands, along edges of open fields, or in wetland areas, although sometimes the owls will hunt by sitting on a tree branch and waiting to see or hear prey. They have excellent hearing and can hear prey hidden under leaf litter. Their diet consists of insects (like moths and katydids), crayfish, earthworms, reptiles and amphibians, small mammals like mice and bats, and songbirds.

Mating season for the Eastern Screech Owl begins in March and the owls nest in natural cavities in trees, old woodpecker holes, or bird boxes. Courtship between owls involves the males bowing, raising wings, clicking their bill or bringing food to the female. Eastern Screech Owls mate for life and mated pairs can be seen preening each other's feathers and calling in duet. Their call is a muted trill made mostly by the males; however, they also use a "whinny" call during courtship.

The female Eastern Screech Owl will typically lay about 2-7 eggs per clutch and they will lay the eggs over a period of days (sometimes up to a week) and do not begin full-time incubation until the last egg is laid. Incubation for the eggs is about 26 days; however, because of the delay in laying eggs, sometimes the eggs laid first will develop and hatch first.

When the young are born, both parents will feed them; however, the males are primarily responsible for feeding the females and guarding the nest cavities against predators. Predators for the owl include Black Rat Snakes, Virginia Opossums, and Raccoons. The owl will use alarm calls and will physically attack predators that approach their nests and fledglings. Also, while the owls are nesting, the adults will sometimes bring back small, worm-like Blind Snakes and release them into the nest. These Blind Snakes will burrow into the nest and clean out any insects and will help to protect the young against parasites.

The young owls will leave the nest at about 28 days old and will then remain with the parents until they are 8-10 weeks old. During this time, both parents will continue to feed the young. Once the young leave to stake out their own territory, the parents will split up again until mating season the next year, and then may re-use the same nest site.

It is fortunate for these owls that they have learned to adapt to humans so well; as a result, they are not facing the same plight that their cousins the Spotted Owls are, and the fate that Burrowing Owls and the Barn Owls will soon be facing. One of the best ways to help the Eastern Screech Owl is by building and putting a Screech Owl box in your backyard! Fred Gehlbach, known as the world's leading authority on Screech Owl behavior has tried some variations on nest boxes and found that the birds tend to use deep cavities, more than 10 inches deep, with entrance holes not much larger than the minimum needed for their own entry. He also discovered that if the floors were only six inches across, young owls would sometimes fledge early and that would lead to crowded nests, and so he concluded that boxes with floors that were eight inches square were the perfect size.

There is some disagreement about whether cleaning out nest boxes yearly is helpful for Screech Owls. Since the Screech Owl tends to put Blind Snakes in their nests, you might find more than you bargained for when trying to clean one out! If you do decide to put up a Screech Owl box, make sure that it is at least 12-20 feet off the ground and in deep shade. Try to place the box away from sidewalks or doors since these owls are very good at protecting their nests and have been known to bother people who come too close to them.

So, despite the fact that humans are continuing to encroach on the Screech Owl's natural habitat, there are things we can do to help them adapt to our presence. Educating people about Screech Owls and dispelling any erroneous information is important, and so is giving the owls a place to nest. If we can help educate people and provide nest boxes for Screech Owls, then we will be able to enjoy these nocturnal birds for many years to come.