What Is an Eastern Screech Owl's Nest Made Of?

The Otus ascio (eastern screech owl) is smaller at eight inches tall than other owls. It varies in color from red to gray. You can identify the owls by their ear tufts (they look like horns) and their yellow eyes. Screech owls are a common breed that normally lives in the eastern region of the United States. They also live in the west and Midwest. Screech owls got the name from the loud, raspy scream it makes, similar to a barn owl. Because of its appearance, it is often mistaken for the great horned owl, though the horned owl is much larger.

  1. Common Owl Nests

    • Screech owls mate for life and quickly set up housekeeping to raise their owlets. Owls are notorious for putting no thought or effort into building a nest. The screech owl in particular is opportunistic. It takes over hollowed out trees to raise its young. Other owls, like the barn owl, prefer old buildings, but will use a palm tree if that is what is available. Other owls commandeer gopher and prairie dog holes to raise their families. The screech owl searches for a hole in a tree, or a hollowed out hole that is safe for the owlets, then sets about laying eggs and making a home for the babies.

    Screech Owl Nesting Boxes

    • Wooden nesting boxes are made by humans who like to observe the owls.

      Screech owls commonly use hand-made nests, allowing them to lay eggs. These nesting boxes are human made and rudimentary. It's a wooden box with an elevated hole at a height where even in a yard the owl feels safe coming and going. Some people commonly have a discreet web cam set up, so that keen owl fans can watch the antics of the babies. Both the mother and father tend the eggs, with one only leaving long enough to bring food for the other. Unlike some owls, screech owls only have a number of eggs once per year.

    Egg Incubation

    • The female screech owl does the majority of sitting on the eggs, with the male taking a short stint in between hunting to give his partner a break, Screech owl egg incubation is roughly 26 days, with the majority of the owlets born in the spring up to a week apart. A batch of eggs , can be as many as eight eggs, but four to six eggs are more common. This is where the sloppy nest comes in handy; disheveled as the nest may be, there is in no chance of the nest blowing out of the tree and the babies being lost forever. Screech owls also risk falling prey to larger owls, black rat snakes, opposums and raccoons. The owls are fierce fighters, especially when protecting owlets. They will dive down and engage the intruder, becoming a force to reckon with.

    Bringing up Baby

    • Fledgeling screech owls, stay with the nest for only a short time after learning to fly.

      Baby owlets hatch covered with fuzzy down. Their parents are everything to them; protection, warmth and food. The babies eat what the parent eats, though as distasteful as it may sound, the mother chews the provisions for baby before feeding it, making it easier for the baby to accept it. Later, the parents will leave the nest up to 100 times per day looking for food. Screech owls dine on insects, earthworms, crayfish, unusually small fish and field mice. An interesting point, is that the parents snatch small, black, blind snakes and put them in the nest. They are not for eating; they are housekeepers, moving through the debris in the nest, and relieving it of parasites. Fledglings by the 26th day after hatching, the owlets start leaving the nest, under the watchful eyes of the parents. Often they land on the ground, watched by the parents from above; until they finally take flight. They will return to the nest only for a brief amount of time before heading off on their own.