The eastern screech owl (Megascops asio) does not screech; it whinnies and makes soft trills. It is a small owl that is relatively common in Eastern North America, from Mexico to Canada. It hunts – mainly in the four hours after sunset – by sitting on a tree branch and waiting to see or hear prey. If an eastern screech-owl catches more food than it can eat, it may cache excess food in tree cavities. Eastern screech-owls do not build nests and thus must find already made nest cavities to occupy. They will use anything from woodpecker holes to nest boxes meant for wood ducks and kestrels.
