Eastern Screech Owl, "Otus"

Otus asio

QuickTime Video: See and listen to the call of a brown phase eastern screech owl!

 

Otus is a brown phase eastern screech owl. Eastern screech owls come in three colors: red, grey and brown. We know that Otus is a male because he is a small screech owl, and the males of all raptor species are smaller than the females.

 

In the spring of 2003, Otus was the victim of a car accident. He suffered a concussion, from which he recovered after treatment at St. Francis Wildlife's wildlife hospital, but his right wing was permanently impaired.

Each year, St. Francis Wildlife receives hundreds of owls and other nocturnal animals who are temporarily blinded by a vehicle's approaching headlights and then are unable evade its path.

One way we can help owls is by not throwing food onto the roadsides. Rodents are attracted by the apple cores and other food items we throw from our car windows. At night, owls swoop low across the road to prey upon the rodents, and many of these owls, like Otus, are injured or killed each year.

Otus has become a valued member of our Wild Classroom outreach education program and lives in a large outdoor enclosure with "Red," a red phase eastern screech owl. Otus and Red clearly appreciate each other's company as they can often be found cuddled together inside the same nest box.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

St. Francis Wildlife Association