Nature Done Wright

     Screech owls are one of the most populous owls in America, but few people notice them because they are mostly creatures of the night.
    People see them more often this time of year because the males are choosing nesting sites and protecting turf. Once they have found a site or two that they have decided to defend, they typically sleep during the day and sun themselves in late afternoon.
    Screech Owls stand roughly nine inches tall, with a wing span of 20 inches. They weigh roughly six or seven ounces, with females slightly larger than males.
    Screech Owls have all sorts of neat features, including a head that turns 270 degrees, extra eyelids, and an amazing sense of hearing.

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    Screech Owls come in two basic colors, red and gray. Although the term “phase” is used to describe these two colors, the owls do not change from one phase to the other. A reddish-brown screech owl is always reddish brown, and a grayish-brown screech owl always remains grayish brown.
    Both male and female Screech Owls can be either color. When they are young, both varieties have white down plumage.
      Screech Owls come in two other basic types, based on geography – Eastern and Western. The two geographical types are nearly identical, and their territories overlap slightly.
    The name “Screech Owl” is a misnomer. They almost never screech. But they can make a trembling, haunting call after dark that gives little children the willies, and another rapid call that sounds a lot like drumming.

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