Identification
Short stocky bird with a large head and almost no neck. (6-10 inches) (4-9 oz) Wings are rounded, and the tail is short and square. Has pointed ear tufts which are often raised. Eyes are yellow and their coloring is mostly grey or reddish brown will lots of patterns to help them blend in against tree bark. Active at night and easier to hear than see.
Habitat
Primarily east of the Rockies in places that have trees. Breeds successfully in rural and urban areas.
Nesting
Lives in the trees. It Avoids plains and treeless expanses. Lives in cavities of trees or nest boxes, but never make the cavities themselves. They don’t build nests.
Behavior
Generally active at night, but often hunt at dawn and dusk. They sit and wait for prey to pass below, then pounce from perches 6-10 ft off the ground. Most flights are short. They form stable matches with one male and one female usually and usually remain together for life.
Offspring
2-6 eggs in a clutch. Eggs are 1-1.5 inches. Incubates for 27-34 days, Nestling for 26-30 days. Depend on food from the parents for 8-10 weeks.
Predators
Opossums, minks, weasels, raccoons, skunks, snakes, crows, blue jays, and squirrels raid the nests. Once they’re adults larger raptors may hunt them.
Diet
Eats most kinds of small animals: birds, mammals, earthworms, insects, crayfish, frogs, lizards, etc. If food is plentiful they will cache food in tree holes for up to four days.
Fun Fact
Though the male is smaller, his voice is deeper than the female’s. They regurgitate the bones, fur, and feathers in an oval pellet once or twice a day.
Leave a Reply