Winner for Most Distinctive Vocalization
January 19, 2025



Well, unless you've been living in a cave, you know that they recently held the North American Owl Awards ceremony at Tufts University. And I'll give you two guesses who won for Most Distinctive Vocalization. Hint: it species name starts with an "M".

That's right, Megascops asio, better known as yours truly, the Eastern Screech Owl! Ta-da!

Actually, the news was bittersweet for me. I had expected to go home with the Eeriest Vocalization award, but for some unknown reason, the Academy saw fit to give that honor to the Barn Owl. Okay, maybe its hoarse screeching is frightening, but it lacks all style. Anyone can startle somebody, but my tremulous whinnies inspire dread on an intellectual level.

Still, it was a consolation to take home the Golden Owl Pellet for Most Distinctive Vocalization. But the Barn Owl for Eeriest Vocalization??? What was the Academy thinking?!

Listen to the North American Owl Awards ceremony, live from Zimman Field at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts!

Screech Owls Don't Screech
December 6, 2024



Oh, hi there. Brian has asked me to say a few words on the subject of my species, Megascops asio, better known as the Eastern Screech Owl¹. I suppose the first order of business is to remind you that I do not actually screech². Oh, I may screech in dire circumstances, as when a weasel or a mink is approaching my egg-filled tree cavity³, but then who doesn’t screech when they are under duress? No, my typical calls are courtship tremolos and defense whinnies⁴. I’m told you human beings find those latter calls positively spine-chilling.

And who can blame you? It really does sound like the whinnying of a miniature ghost horse, although less poetically oriented minds have characterized it as the sound of a “horse on helium.⁵” (A horse on helium, indeed! Where’s the poetry in that?)

The courtship call, on the other hand, is more like a repetitive chuckle, or a purr, the exact meaning of which can only be fully understood by the beloved owl for whom we produce it. It’s all about love, folks, even when it comes to Screech Owls. In fact, the courtship tremolo is usually performed as a duet between a male and female of the species⁶. Listen for us the next time you’re in the woods.

In what woods, you ask? Well, take your pick. Our tree-loving species is a permanent resident of the entire eastern half of the United States. We are also perfectly fine with suburban and even city life, so there’s no need to seek us out in the boondocks. In the words of the fine folks at Cornell Labs:

"Almost any habitat with sufficient tree cover will do for this cosmopolitan owl.⁷"

In fact, you can even find us in New York City’s Central Park⁸, or you can hear us there, at all events. It may take some patience for you to actually find us. But I’m sure your determination will be rewarded. Just remember, however, that there are two varieties of Eastern Screech Owl, or “morphs,” as your scientists call them: the rufous colored Screech Owl and the gray one⁹.

As you can see from my cover photo, I’ve gone with the rufous, or rusty-red, feathers myself, but do not be surprised if you see a doppelganger of mine sporting gray feathers in the Big Apple. The gray morph predominates in such northern regions whilst we rust-colored screechies are more common in the south¹⁰.

I’m not sure what Brian meant exactly by “a few words,” but I’d rather leave you tantalized than bored. So let me close by answering a question that I know is on your mind. (Come on, don’t deny it.) “This is all well and good, Winnie,” you’re thinking to yourself, “but I hear that there’s a Western Screech Owl as well as an Eastern Screech Owl. How on earth do we tell the difference between those two species?”

Well, I’m glad you asked that question – or I’m glad that you thought it, anyway. The Eastern and Western Screech Owls are very similar, after all. In fact, they were considered one single species until the 1980s¹¹.

So, how to tell us apart, then?

First of all, there are no red-colored, or rufous, Western Screech Owls, period, full stop, so if you see a red screech owl, you are definitely seeing an Eastern Screech Owl. Fair enough? Moreover, there is almost no overlap between western and eastern territories, so if you see any screech owl in the wild in the eastern half of the United States, you’re seeing an Eastern Screech Owl.

The difficulties arise when you’re trying to determine the species of a gray screech owl in one of the rare areas where the territories do overlap, such as southwestern Texas or certain parts of Montana. Then your best bet is to just listen to their calls. As the Cornell Lab reports: “Eastern has a descending whinny, while western has an accelerating series of hoots.¹²” That’s simple enough, right? Descending whinny: east; accelerating hoots: west.

There are some other differences of course, but most of them are rather subtle, I’m afraid. We Eastern Screech Owls have paler bills, for instance, while the Western Screech Owl has denser barring¹³. But when in doubt, listen to the owl song. I’ve always preferred the descending whinny, myself, but then I suppose I am a trifle biased.




1: Eastern Screech Owl ~ Megascops asio, The Owl Pages
2: Eastern Screech-Owl, Audubon
3: Signs of Spring 10: The Eastern Screech Owl!, Ecologist's Notebook
4: Eastern Screech-Owl, Cornell Lab eBird
5: Learn to Identify Five Owls by Their Calls, Audubon
6: Identifying the Calls, Sounds, and Hoots of Eastern Screech Owls, Hummingbirds Plus
7: Eastern Screech-Owl Life History, Cornell Lab eBird
8: Owls in New York City's Parks, NYC Parks
9: What are the color morphs of the screech owl?, Birdful.org
10: Eastern Screech owl, Chattahoochee Nature Center
11: Eastern vs Western Screech-Owl: What, Birds & Blooms
12: Western Screech-Owl Similar Species Comparison, Cornell Lab eBird
13: Eastern Screech-Owl vs Western Screech-Owl, Flocking Around