Animalia Life

Otus asio
SUBFAMILY
Striginae, Tribe Otini
TAXONOMY
Strix asio Linnaeus, 1758, South Carolina. Six subspecies are recognized.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Common screech-owl; French: Petit-duc maculй; German: Ostkreischeule; Spanish: Autillo Yanqui.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
6.3–9.8 in (16–25 cm). Female, 6.8 oz (194 g). Male, 5.9 oz (166 g). As with many scops-owls, there are two different color phases—a brown phase and a gray phase. Its erect ear tufts can be flattened to give the head a rounded appearance. This is probably the best known small owl in eastern North America.
DISTRIBUTION
Southern central and eastern Canada to Florida and northeastern Mexico.
HABITAT
Forest and woodlands.
BEHAVIOR
Sedentary. Hunts in open woodland probably to avoid detection by other predators. Mostly nocturnal, but also hunts at dawn and dusk and, occasionally, during the day.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Insects, worms, crayfish, small birds, and rodents. Makes straight perch-to-prey strikes and also hunts on the ground.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Cavity nester; prefers holes in trees. Clutch size is usually three to four, but may be as many as seven. Incubation is at least 26 days. Young fledge in 25–27 days, but remain dependent on the parents for eight to 10 weeks.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not globally threatened; numbers decrease when forests are cleared.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.

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