what kind of owl is this?

17 years ago

While decorating our house, we found an owl underneath our porch overhang. Is this some sort of screech owl? We live in Dallas, TX. Thanks!

Dave

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Comments (7)

wayne_mo
17 years ago
Yes, definitely a screech owl! Very cool!

It's an Eastern Screech Owl (Mexican color phase).
jemdandy
17 years ago
Screach owls make a really big noise for their size. I remember the time one night when one sat on the chimney of our old farm house and let out a blood curdling scream. The noise shot down the chimney and filled the small house below waking everyone.
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These guys come around quite a bit, i see them sometimes fly from tree to tree in the evenings. I got these shots probably around 9ish at night. Thanks for lookin guys. Glad there are others who appreciate these little guys. I wasn't sure what kind of owl they are, but they remind me of pygmy owls. They make a faint little noise not like a traditional owl sound or screech
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Screech owls and barred owls are the easiest to call. I can do a barred owl well enough that they answer me, and sometimes fly in close to take a look. I learned it from a friend who was so good at it, you really couldn't tell the difference between her calls and the owls. Birders will on occasion use a recording of a screech owl call to bring in small birds. Birds will "mob" any screechie they thing is in their nesting territory, so they respond to the call by flying in like crazy to take a look around. This isn't really considered a good thing to do very often as it agitates the little birds, obviously. Once in awhile, it is helpful in seeing just what you might have living in a given area, though. I have been hearing barred owls at night for weeks now. Earlier in the season, I had two in my big oaks, calling at the top of their lungs one night, but I never could get the light on them to see them. Now they are calling from a block or so away every night. Ya gotta love owls. Too cool! Marcia
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i love how he(she) blends in with the bark on the tree. we have the big brown owls here, drives the dogs nuts on our morning walks. lots of small(1 ft.) toddler owls hanging around. know mom and dad are close ready to protect. love 'em.
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Hi Cathy Thanks so much for the link. I've only heard one since yesterday, but I think they are just hiding from the heat. I love playing detective, and I will be happy to share. A couple of times a year the owls choose our front yard to have a hootanny, Very intense owl get together, A few years ago my sister and I were peering out the door and counted 13 on the ground, could not count the ones in the trees. We have lived in this house for 47 years, and slowly everything around is getting developed. Next time it happens I have video camera at the ready. Yes, it was originally in the Tomato forum. I didn't know this was here. Finally a place I can share these and not worry about being too OT. Could you please tell me how I am supposed to get anything done now??
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
17 years ago
I've never heard a Screech Owl make 'blood curdling' screams. I've always thought that their calls are extremely pretty, though haunting.
aquawise
17 years ago
you never indicated how big or small the owl was? Screech owls do not have horns so to speak. Looks more like a great horned owl.
jemdandy
17 years ago
Screech owls do have small tufts that appears as "ears". In the west, the wihiskered owl is very similar in size and markings and can be differentiated from the screech owl only upon close inspection.

The best identifier is its call. The whiskered owl call has 4 to 9 high-pitched boos slowing at the end. [A Guide to Field Identification,
Birds of North America, by Chamdler S. Robbins, Bertel Bruun, and Herbert S. Zim]
andrevson
17 years ago
Hey that is very cool haa!!! very beautiful one, i do not now much about the owls, but i too think it is a screech owl (just went through google)

Here is a link that might be useful: Personal finance tools
ok_wildlife_control
17 years ago
That is an Eastern Screech Owl. Based on the size of the owl in comparison to the brick ... it's a large adult. A Great Horned Owl would be much much larger ... and the Eastern Screech Owl does has "feather horns".

However ... to be perched or roosted there while you take the picture ... leads me to believe the owl was injured or sick.

Very pretty to look at ... but they are still Raptors ... and therefore still Federally Protected.

Here is a link that might be useful: OK Wildlife Control, LLC

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what kind of owl is this?

Comments (7)

wayne_mo

jemdandy

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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

aquawise

jemdandy

andrevson

ok_wildlife_control

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