eastern screech owls
One of the frequently asked questions we get is "how can you tell who's whoooo?" Read on to find out!
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lucyOur resident feisty, fiery redhead. As a rufous color morph, her namesake was, in fact, inspired by Lucille Ball -- and it fits. Lucy is one of our more outspoken screech owls around the nature center, greeting guests and volunteers with a rattling chitter.
Lucy is an imprint. She never learned the important lessons of how to be an owl in the wild. Once she was put in the care of wildlife rehabilitators, it was determined to be too late to teach her how to survive on her own.. She's been delighting visitors at the nature center since 2015-2016. |
RICKYNot quite as outspoken as his namesake -and as far as we know- doesn't play the conga drums, Ricky is another imprinted screech owl in our care. He and Lucy do seem to be fond of each other, in some capacity. We don't know all of the secrets of their relationship, which they probably save for the gossip during the late nights at the nature center.
He is a grey color morph, also having arrived at the nature center around 2015-2016. |
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FREDPart of the "I Love Lucy" crew, Fred is another imprinted screech owl, also arriving sometime around 2015-2016. Despite also being a rufous color morph, Fred is not quite as outspoken as Lucy.
Having been kept close with Ethel, they do seem to have developed a fondness (or tolerance) for one another, and don't mind sharing spaces. They make for good educational outreach buddies! ..which is great for presentations, as the contrast between color morphs can be shown side-by-side. |
ETHELAnd last but not least, here's Ethel! She, too, is an imprint, arriving within the same timeframe as the rest of our "I Love Lucy" cast.
She is a grey color morph that doesn't mind sharing a glove with her rufous counterpart, Fred. Personality-wise, Ethel is quiet and observant. It would seem more often than not, she prefers to watch the world around her with an intense stare (as seen in her picture next to this textbox -- though she may be ensuring whomever was in the volunteer office that day to check out important paperwork). |
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SPICEEach of our residents has a story to share about how some human influences impact the wild world. To the best of our understanding, Spice's parents were exposed to some sort of poison (insecticide, rodenticide, or pesticide) which was passed down to their owlets. Whatever that substance may have been, it affected Spice during those developmental phases. She lacks the necessary muscle tone required for flying.
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DILBERTMuch like Spice, we are under the impression Dilbert came into this world under similar circumstances. His parents were exposed to some chemical or substance that was passed along, affecting his muscle tone and overall ability to fly.
(To answer a question we often receive: while they have similar ailments, we are unsure if they are siblings.) |
GOLIATH |
WICKETWicket has the bird-version of 'tennis elbow.'
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RUMPLES |
SAMSONYou may have seen Samson on one of his many "bad 'hair' (feather) days" in the past, no thanks to his best buddy's overenthusiasm for preening.
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Scientific Name: Megascops asio
Screech owls are found all throughout North America. As you may have guessed, the eastern screech owls occupy the eastern half of the continent, while their slightly larger cousins, the western screech owl lives in the western half of the continent. Here in Pinellas County, we have one of the largest screech owl populations. Why? ...because we have an abundance of their favorite prey item: cockroaches/palmetto bugs. These birds are usually an instant fan favorite for that reason alone. Their size and good looks also factor in with the whole popularity thing, too, we're sure.
Despite the name, the sounds they make are not really of a screeching nature. They have a soft trilling call, which you may sometimes hear echoing through our nature center. They also make a whinnying noise, reminiscent of a horse's whinny.
Owls have been said to not be great at constructing their own nests, so they will seek out nesting boxes or cavities in trees.
From time to time, we do have nesting boxes available at the Nature Center, but if you are looking for a project, check out Audubon's site of how to do it yourself and how/where to place it. They typically nest early in the year and the fledgling owls leave the nest shortly after spring ends.
In the wild, screech owls can live up to 14 years. In human care, most likely longer than 14 years.
Screech owls are found all throughout North America. As you may have guessed, the eastern screech owls occupy the eastern half of the continent, while their slightly larger cousins, the western screech owl lives in the western half of the continent. Here in Pinellas County, we have one of the largest screech owl populations. Why? ...because we have an abundance of their favorite prey item: cockroaches/palmetto bugs. These birds are usually an instant fan favorite for that reason alone. Their size and good looks also factor in with the whole popularity thing, too, we're sure.
Despite the name, the sounds they make are not really of a screeching nature. They have a soft trilling call, which you may sometimes hear echoing through our nature center. They also make a whinnying noise, reminiscent of a horse's whinny.
Owls have been said to not be great at constructing their own nests, so they will seek out nesting boxes or cavities in trees.
From time to time, we do have nesting boxes available at the Nature Center, but if you are looking for a project, check out Audubon's site of how to do it yourself and how/where to place it. They typically nest early in the year and the fledgling owls leave the nest shortly after spring ends.
In the wild, screech owls can live up to 14 years. In human care, most likely longer than 14 years.
The Friends of Largo Nature Parks
11901 146th Street North
Largo, FL 33774
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