screech owl

American  

Or screech-owl

noun

1. any of numerous small American owls of the genus Otus, having hornlike tufts of feathers, as O. asio, of eastern North America.

2. (not in technical use) any owl having a harsh cry, especially the barn owl.

---

screech owl British  

noun

1. a small North American owl, Otus asio, having ear tufts and a reddish-brown or grey plumage

2. any owl that utters a screeching cry

---

Etymology

Origin of screech owl

First recorded in 1585–95

Example Sentences

This year, the Wildlife Center of Virginia posted on Facebook about an Eastern screech owl that flew into a glue trap.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2024

I think that Alfie felt threatened, which she was, because the blue jays are about the same size as a screech owl.

From Salon • Oct. 1, 2023

It won't take long to feel enamored of the newly adopted member of Carl Safina's family: a baby screech owl.

From Scientific American • Oct. 1, 2023

A few doors down from the vulture, we came to a whiskered screech owl, a gray owl with large yellow eyes spray-painted on a black security screen.

From Washington Post • Jul. 7, 2022

It might have been a screech owl, but owls were nocturnal and therefore would not be out in the daytime.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood