THE SCREECH OWL 
By WILLIAM DUTCHER 
The National Association of Audubon Societies 
Educational Leaflet No. 11 
A Lover of 
Old Orchards 
When studying the Screech Owl, the student must always bear in 
mind its two phases of color — red and gray. A bird of one color may 
i be mated with a bird of another color, and all their young may be of 
| one color, either red or gray, or the parents may be of one color and the 
’ young of mixed colors ; hence this is often called Mottled Owl. How- 
j ever, no matter what the phase of color is, no person can mistake a 
j Screech Owl for any other species. The only other owl that might 
j possibly be confounded with it is the Saw-whet, which lacks ear-tufts, 
I is brown, and does not have black wing-shafts. 
In the Eastern States Screech Owls are very fond of living in apple- 
j orchards, especially where the trees have been 
| neglected and are decaying, thus furnishing holes in 
which the birds may breed or hide. The man who 
| is so fortunate as to have Screech Owls attach themselves to his orchard 
| should consider himelf especially favored, for the good that they will 
i do him by keeping in subjection pestilent mice is beyond calculation. 
A very intelligent farmer living in Seneca County, New York, in- 
formed me that mice and rabbits, principally the former, had in one winter 
(1899-1900) killed every tree in a five-acre peach-orchard. The trees 
l were girdled a few inches from the ground by these rodents. The value 
of his 800 bearing trees was not less than $2,000. In this case, would 
I it not have been more economical for the owner to have encouraged owls 
| and other birds-of-prey, which live largely on mice and rabbits, to remain 
Ion his premises, even if a chicken were lost occasionally. 
It is probably a fact that Screech Owls remain mated during life ; and, 
j as they are non-migratory, if once they become attached to a locality, 
they are likely to remain there, unless they are harassed and driven away, 
J or their home is destroyed, and even then they do not move any great 
distance. For this reason they are doubly of value 
to the agriculturist, as they help him during the entire Pre ^ m ^ on 
year. Their prey, the mice, are yearly tenants, and 
the farmer who is wise will give the Screech Owl on his acres a 
perpetual lease. 
Another feature in the life-history of the Screech Owl, and one that 
makes this bird particularly valuable, is that it hunts for food at night 
when most other’ birds are at rest. It thus supplements the day-work of 
the rodent-eating hawks, providing a continuous check on the four-footed 
vermin of the ground. While the Screech Owls are nocturnal by choice, 
41 
