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Eastern Screech-Owl
Megascops asio
Silhouette: Jason Dilworth · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderStrigiformes (Owls)
- FamilyStrigidae (Typical Owls)
- GenusMegascops (Screech-Owls)
- SpeciesMegascops asio (Eastern Screech-Owl)
In 3 days <5%
17 Verified sightings at Big Cypress National Preserve From 2019 to 2026
1,593 In all 8 parks
December Best month
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted
About the Eastern Screech-Owl
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.
The eastern screech owl was formally described in 1758 by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae. He placed it with all the other owls in the genus Strix and coined the binomial name Strix asio. Linnaeus based his account on the "little owl" that had been described and illustrated by English naturalist Mark Catesby in his book The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands. The specific epithet is the Latin word for a type of eared owl. The eastern screech owl is now one of 22 screech owls placed in the genus Megascops that was introduced in 1848 by the German naturalist Johann Kaup.
Five subspecies are typically recognised for... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Eastern Screech-Owl in Big Cypress National Preserve
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States |
Cities Where Found
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
Zoos & Centres Where Found
Closest Relatives at Big Cypress National Preserve
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing an Eastern Screech-Owl in Big Cypress National Preserve?
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Screech-Owl sighting in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 164th most-seen of the 199 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see an Eastern Screech-Owl in Big Cypress National Preserve?
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Screech-Owl in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
What time of day is best to see an Eastern Screech-Owl?
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eastern Screech-Owl sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Is Big Cypress National Preserve the best place to see an Eastern Screech-Owl?
8th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Eastern Screech-Owl sightings, Big Cypress National Preserve ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in Point Pelee National Park (Canada, about 10%), Everglades National Park (United States, under 5%) and Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (Mexico, under 5%).
Where does the Eastern Screech-Owl sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eastern Screech-Owl is recorded against all the birds logged in Big Cypress National Preserve (17 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
