Listen to the eastern screech owl
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the eastern screech owl
The eastern screech owl is a bird in the family Strigidae (order Strigiformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”.
What does the eastern screech owl sound like?
Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round. Listening for both helps with identification.
The recordings here are labelled as call. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The eastern screech owl (Megascops asio) or eastern screech-owl is a stocky, short-tailed owl that is relatively common in Eastern North America, from Mexico to Canada. Mid-sized for a screech owl, the species resides in most types of woodland habitats across its range and is relatively adaptable to urban and developed areas compared to other owls. Although it often lives in close proximity to humans, the eastern screech owl frequently avoids detection due to its strictly nocturnal habits.
Related birds in the genus Megascops
More from the family Strigidae
Frequently asked questions
What does an eastern screech owl sound like?
You can hear 2 recordings of the eastern screech owl on this page, including its call. Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round.
Is the eastern screech owl endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the eastern screech owl as “least concern”.
What family does the eastern screech owl belong to?
The eastern screech owl (Megascops asio) belongs to the family Strigidae in the order Strigiformes.
Sources & credits
- Call · Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota, United… by Jonathon Jongsma – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Eastern Screech Owl – Everglades National Park by NPS Natural Sounds Program – Public domain (NPS) · NPS
- Wikidata Q251939 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Eastern screech owl – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Wolfgang Wander – CC BY-SA 3.0