Western Screech-Owl
Megascops kennicottii · Typical Owls
Banding codeWESO
Keys to identifying it
1Size & shape
About 8.5 in long.
2Color pattern
- Small owl with ear tufts
- Gray with fine streaks
- Yellow eyes and a dark bill
3Habitat & season
Cottonwoods, riparian woods, towns
In northern Utah: year-round.
Seen most often in January, June and July.
Share of the region’s research-grade iNaturalist bird observations each month, scaled to this bird’s peak. Highlighted bars are its peak months.
4Voice
A series of hoots that speeds up like a bouncing ball.
“hoo-hoo-hoo-hu-hu-hu-hu”
iNat 83751682 by Grant Chovil · Jackson Ave, Ogden, UT, US · CC BY
Know it
- Its song speeds up like a bouncing ball coming to rest.
- Nests in tree cavities and nest boxes, including in town.
- Can raise or flatten its ear tufts to change its outline.
- Common in Utah's cottonwoods but rarely seen.
Often confused with
Great Horned Owl
Burrowing Owl
Sandhill Crane- Northern Saw-whet Owl
- American Goshawk
From iNaturalist identification data for northern Utah.
From Wikipedia
The western screech owl is a small owl native to North and Central America, closely related to the eastern screech owl. The scientific name commemorates the American naturalist Robert Kennicott and roughly translates to "Kennicott's great/large owl".
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0