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Despite the name, Eastern Screech-Owls rarely screech. The two sounds you'll actually hear after dark are a shivering whinny that slides downhill like a tiny horse, and a long, level trill that purrs on one note for a few seconds. Both come from an owl the size of a pint glass, often in a backyard tree or nest box, in any month.
“a tiny horse whinny, falling: whi-hi-hi-hi-hinny”
Every sound the Eastern Screech-Owl makes
3 sounds to learn, each with a recording.
Descending Whinny
High pitch · Phrase
A quavering, whistled whinny that starts high and trembles down the scale. It lasts anywhere from half a second to about two seconds and sounds more mournful than menacing. Often the whinny and the level trill come back to back.
“a tiny horse whinny, falling: whi-hi-hi-hi-hinny”
Year round after dark; used mainly to defend a territory.
Monotone Trill
Mid pitch · Trill
A soft, hollow trill held on one pitch for about two to five seconds, with notes so fast they blur into a purr. It neither speeds up nor drops in pitch, and it is mellow enough to blend into the night noise of insects and frogs. Mates trade trills back and forth, and the lower voice is his, even though he is the smaller bird.
“one long, even purr”
Year round; pairs and families use it to stay in touch. Mostly at night, though pairs sometimes answer each other by day.
Barks, Screeches and Bill Snaps
Mid pitch · Varied
An upset screech-owl swaps its soft songs for sharp barks, harsh screeches, and a three- or four-note chuckling rattle. The real screeches come mostly from adults guarding a nest or fledglings. Up close, an annoyed owl also snaps its bill with a dry, clacking sound.
Mostly near a nest or young owls in late spring and summer, or when songbirds are mobbing the owl.
What to listen for
- A whinny that falls in pitch and is over in two seconds or less is the territorial song.
- If the trill holds one note for several seconds without bouncing or speeding up, it's the contact song.
- When trills answer trills, the deeper singer is the male.
- By day, check any tree where Blue Jays, chickadees and titmice are all scolding at once; a screech-owl may be roosting there.
- Try late summer and early fall nights, when families keep in touch and young owls are spreading out.
Birds that sound like the Eastern Screech-Owl
By ear: Western's signature song is a bouncing ball: five to nine short, whistled hoots that speed up toward the end. Its contact call is a two-part trill, a quick burst followed at once by a longer one, rather than Eastern's single long, steady trill.
By ear: Sora also gives a falling whinny, but it is louder and brighter, slows down as it drops, and is made of distinct, ringing notes. It comes from cattails and marsh grass, not from trees.
By ear: A saw-whet sings a long series of separate whistled toots on one pitch, about two per second, like a truck backing up. A screech-owl's notes run together into a smooth trill or whinny instead.
When and where you'll hear it
When
Most vocal from March to April and from July to October, at dawn, at dusk and at night.
- Dawn
- Dusk
- Night
Where
Year round across the eastern two-thirds of the US, from the Atlantic coast and Florida west into the Great Plains and Texas, wherever there are trees with cavities, including suburbs and city parks. On the Plains it follows wooded strips along rivers and streams.
- Western Great Plains and Texas
- Eastern and Western Screech-Owls meet in a few places, including southeastern Colorado, the Oklahoma Panhandle and the Rio Grande valley in Texas. There, a bouncing-ball series of hoots points to Western; a long single trill or a falling whinny is more likely Eastern.
- Yards
- Woods
- Cities
Practice the Eastern Screech-Owl in the app
Practice the Eastern Screech-Owl’s descending whinny until you can name it without looking. Wings & Whistles plays it in 2 interactive listening lessons, mixed with the birds you’ll hear around it.
How to recognize the Eastern Screech-Owl by sight
Eastern Screech-Owls occur in two color morphs, reddish-brown and gray. Both morphs are the same species and often occur in the same area; their cryptic patterns help them blend perfectly with tree bark.
Similar-looking species (2)
- Western Screech-Owl: Nearly identical in size and shape, but found in western North America. Visually, Western Screech-Owls have very similar plumage (also gray or reddish morphs) and also have ear tufts. Range is usually the determining factor. Their vocalizations differ: the Western gives a series of accelerating hoots (like a bouncing ball) rather than the Eastern's whinny trill. In the very limited areas of range overlap (e.g., parts of Texas), voice is the best way to distinguish them.
- Northern Saw-whet Owl: Northern Saw-whet Owls also have yellow eyes, but they lack ear tufts and show a rounder, more compact head with white spotting above. Their steady repeated toots differ sharply from an Eastern Screech-Owl’s whinny and tremolo.
Eastern Screech-Owl sounds FAQ
Does the Eastern Screech-Owl call at night?
Yes. After dark, the sound you are most likely to hear is its descending whinny ("a tiny horse whinny, falling: whi-hi-hi-hi-hinny"), though it is also heard at dawn and at dusk.
When does the Eastern Screech-Owl call?
The Eastern Screech-Owl is most vocal from March to April and from July to October, mostly at dawn, at dusk and at night.