Western Screech-Owl - BirdForum Opus

Photo by oldsquaw
Pueblo, Colorado

Megascops kennicottii

Otus kennicottii

Identification

• Brown or dark grey plumage
• Streaked underparts
• Round head with ear tufts
• Yellow eyes
• Yellowish bill.

Distribution

Subspecies M. k. bendirei
Photo © by Joseph Morlan
Briones Regional Park, Martinez, California, USA, 28 May 2021

Alaska and north-western Canada to California and Mexico.

Taxonomy

This and almost all Screech-Owls in the Americas have previously been considered to belong in the same genus (Otus) as the European and Asian Scops-Owls, but a reassignment to Megascops has been accepted by among other authorities, the American Ornithologists' Union.

Fledgeling
Photo © by digishooter
Keysville: Kern Co., California, USA, May 2011

A study showing strong genetic structure may indicate a possible future split.

Subspecies^[1]

• M. k. kennicottii:

• Coastal southeastern Alaska to north-western Canada and southern Oregon

• M. k. macfarlanei

• Southern British Columbia south to eastern Oregon, Idaho, and western Montana

• M. k. bendirei:

• Pacific coast of North America from south central Oregon south through California (west of the Sierra Nevada) to northwestern Mexico (coastal northern Baja California)

• M. k. aikeni:

• South-western US: California east of the Sierra Nevada and Nevada east to Colorado and west Texas

• M. k. cardonensis:

• Northern Baja California

• M. k. xantusi:

• Cape district of southern Baja California

• M. k. yumanensis:

• South-eastern California and south-western Arizona to northern Mexico (north-western Sonora)

• M. k. vinaceus:

• Northern Mexico (southern Sonora and western Chihuahua to northern Sinaloa)

• M. k. suttoni:

• South-western Texas to Mexican Plateau

Habitat

Open deciduous or mixed woods.

Behaviour

They are active during the night or as dusk approaches.

Breeding

They nest in a cavity in a tree or cactus, often using old woodpecker holes.

Diet

They wait on a perch and swoop down on prey; they may also catch insects in flight. The diet includes small mammals and large insects, also small birds.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Paper describing genetic findings with this species

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Western Screech-Owl. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 24 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Western_Screech-Owl

External Links

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