Songs
Both males and females sing. Their most common sounds are an even-pitched trill, often called a “bounce song” or tremolo; and a shrill, descending whinny. The tremolo is used by pairs or families to keep in touch and is 3–6 seconds long. The whinny is 0.5–2 seconds long and is used to defend territories. These two songs may be given one after the other. Mated pairs may sing to each other antiphonally, both day and night.
Calls
- Whinny and bounce calls
Recorded by Hugh McIsaac
Courtesy of Macaulay Library
© Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Among the Eastern Screech-Owl’s many calls are soft, low hoots; loud, sharp barking calls that indicate alarm or agitation; and, true to their name, screeches—typically given by adults defending nests or fledglings. A three- or four-note chuckle or rattle denotes annoyance, as when a bird is being mobbed.
Other Sounds
Annoyed screech-owls make a clacking sound by snapping their bill mandibles together. Captured birds may hiss as part of a threat display.
Backyard Tips
Eastern Screech-Owls readily accept nesting boxes, so the placement of such boxes may attract them to your yard. Our NestWatch project has information about nest boxes and instructions on how to build one the right size for a screech-owl. These owls also use birdbaths and will visit them to drink and bathe.
Find This Bird
Listen in wooded areas at night for the trills and whinnies of this vocal owl. Your best chance of seeing an Eastern Screech-Owl may be to listen for the excited voices of songbirds mobbing an owl they have found. You can also look closely at tree cavities and nest boxes; especially on cold sunny days, you may see the owl sunning sleepily in the entrance.