CreatureData

Eastern screech owl

Megascops asio (Linnaeus, 1758)

LCLeast Concernowls

The eastern screech owl (Megascops asio) is a species in the family Strigidae, order Strigiformes. Recorded adults weigh 167 g to 194 g and live up to 14.2 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Eastern screech owl (Megascops asio)
Photo: Wolfgang Wander · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the eastern screech owl

Weight
167 g – 194 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
14.2 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
20.7 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
woodlandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
26 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
4.25src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Photos of the eastern screech owl

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

Eastern screech owl (Megascops asio)
DickDaniels ( https://theworldbirds.org/ ) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Where does the eastern screech owl live?

Not recorded

What is the eastern screech owl?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

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.

From the Wikipedia article “Eastern screech owl” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eastern_screech_owl&oldid=1366849113), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

What does the eastern screech owl sound like?

Jonathon Jongsma · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Is the eastern screech owl endangered?

The eastern screech owl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the eastern screech owl classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderStrigiformes
  5. familyStrigidae
  6. genusMegascops
  7. SpeciesMegascops asio (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms Bubo asio, Otus asio, Otus asio, Strix asio, Strix naevia

Other names and names in other languages (44)
  • Eastern screech-owlEnglish
  • Eastern screech-owlEnglish
  • Eastern screech-owlEnglish
  • xot de CarolinaCatalan
  • ᏩᎱᎱCherokee
  • výreček americkýCzech
  • Østamerikansk DværghornugleDanish
  • OstkreischeuleGerman
  • Ost-KreischeuleGerman
  • Ανατολικός ΓκιώνηςGreek
  • orienta kriĉostrigoEsperanto
  • Autillo yanquiSpanish
  • Tecolote del EsteSpanish
  • Tecolote orientalSpanish
  • aedpällEstonian
  • idänkirkupöllönenFinnish
  • Asion maculéFrench
  • petit-duc maculéFrench
  • američki ćukCroatian
  • lármás füleskuvikHungarian
  • Assiolo americano orientaleItalian
  • アメリカオオコノハズクJapanese
  • ヒガシアメリカオオコノハズクJapanese
  • Šiaurės Amerikos apuokėlisLithuanian
  • Austrumkrasta pūcīteLatvian
  • Oostelijke SchreeuwuilDutch
  • lundugleNorwegian
  • GaakaabishiinhOjibwa
  • syczek krzykliwyPolish
  • syczoń krzykliwyPolish
  • corujinha-do-lestePortuguese
  • corujinha-norte-americanaPortuguese
  • Североамериканская совкаRussian
  • Восточноамериканская совкаRussian
  • Gwä:ohSeneca
  • výrček škriekavýSlovak
  • Istočni američki ćukSerbian
  • östlig skrikuvSwedish
  • Östlig skrikdvärguvSwedish
  • Doğulu PuhucukTurkish
  • сплюшка північнаUkrainian
  • 东美角鸮Chinese
  • 東方鳴角鴞Chinese
  • 東美角鴞Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the eastern screech owl

Other species in the same genus Megascops.

CompareEastern screech owl vs Western screech owlEastern screech owl vs Tropical screech owlEastern screech owl vs Whiskered screech owlEastern screech owl vs Bare-shanked screech owl

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the eastern screech owl?

An adult eastern screech owl weighs 167 g – 194 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the eastern screech owl endangered?

The eastern screech owl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the eastern screech owl live?

The eastern screech owl has a recorded lifespan of 14.2 years.

What kind of animal is the eastern screech owl?

The eastern screech owl (Megascops asio) belongs to the family Strigidae in the order Strigiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Eastern screech owl (Megascops asio). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/eastern-screech-owl

MLA

“Eastern screech owl (Megascops asio).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/eastern-screech-owl.

BibTeX
@misc{eastern_screech_owl_2026,
  title = {Eastern screech owl (Megascops asio)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/eastern-screech-owl},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}