Whiskered Screech-Owl

Megascops trichopsisOrder: STRIGIFORMES Family: True Owls (Strigidae)

Codes: Common Name: WHSO Scientific Name: MEGTRI ITIS Taxonomic No.: 686662

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Overview

Whiskered Screech-Owl: Small owl with distinct ear tufts, gray and brown mottled upperparts, and brown-streaked, white-barred underparts. It is named for its facial whiskers, which are longer and denser than in other screech owls. Eyes are yellow. Flight is mothlike with rapid, silent wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Whiskered Screech-Owl: Resident in range, in the north of its range (Arizona), there may be some down slope movements in winter. Prefers montane habitats.

Topo Map: Owl-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"woot, woot, woot, woot"

Interesting Facts

The Whiskered Screech Owl is also called the Arizona Whiskered Owl, Spotted Screech-Owl and Whiskered Owl.

They are the smallest of the three Screech-Owls that occur in North America. All three Screech-Owls are very similar in appearance and can only positively be distinguished in the field by their call.

Their call is a series of soft hoots, long and short notes interspersed, which has been likened to Morse code.

A group of owls has many collective nouns, including "a bazaar of owls", "a glaring of owls", "a parliament of owls", "a stooping of owls", and a "wisdom of owls."

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

Related Birds

Flammulated Owl
Western Screech-Owl

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Whiskered Screech-Owl

● Song: "woot, woot, woot, woot"

● Foraging & Feeding: Whiskered Screech-Owl: Feeds on insects, spiders, and small mammals. Hunts from a perch, flying out to catch winged prey.

● Breeding & nesting: Whiskered Screech-Owl: Two to four white eggs are laid in a natural cavity or abandoned woodpecker hole. Female incubates for 21 to 30 days.

● Similar species: Whiskered Screech-Owl: Eastern Screech-Owl is larger, has yellow eyes, and duller breast streaks. Western Screech-Owl is larger, darker overall, has yellow eyes, and a gray/black bill. Voice is often the best way to distinguish these species.

Flight Pattern

Slow light steady wing beats.

● Range & Habitat: Whiskered Screech-Owl: Resident in range, in the north of its range (Arizona), there may be some down slope movements in winter. Prefers montane habitats.

^BreedingMonogamous

^PopulationUncommon to locally common

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight3 Ounces

Owl-like Body

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America