Natural History

The Western Screech Owl is fairly common in the Sonoran Desert. It is a small bird, measuring only about 8 inches tall. It is mostly gray in color with black and white streaked feathers and has distinctive ear tufts. The owl lives in wooded areas from low desert to mountains making its nests in tree cavities or saguaro holes. They mainly hunt at night and eat insects and rodents.
 

Female Western Screech Owls lay from 4 - 5 eggs in a clutch. They take about a month to hatch, during which time the male owl will feed the female while she incubates the eggs.