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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 ~10% in a week ~20%
301 Verified sightings at Everglades National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,593 In all 8 parks
May 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 Everglades National Park
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 Everglades National Park
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing an Eastern Screech-Owl in Everglades National Park?
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Screech-Owl sighting in Everglades National Park on a given day, based on 301 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 153rd most-seen of the 273 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see an Eastern Screech-Owl in Everglades National Park?
April–May and August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Screech-Owl in Everglades National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–July and September–March, the lowest months.
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 Everglades National Park the best place to see an Eastern Screech-Owl?
2nd of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Eastern Screech-Owl sightings, Everglades National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Point Pelee National Park (Canada, about 10%).
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 Everglades National Park (301 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.
