Eastern Screech-Owl
Eastern Screech-Owl has fallen sharply: down 74% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Eastern Screech-Owl
The Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio) is a North American member of the Owls (Strigidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the birds of prey.
- Size
- 5–27.5 in long (13–70 cm) — a nocturnal raptor (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Open country, woodlands, cliffs and wetlands, hunting from the air or a high perch.
- Diet
- Live prey — small mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and large insects (carrion for vultures).
- Range
- Recorded on 785 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 40 states, most concentrated in the Appalachian Mountains.
- Family
- Strigidae · Birds of prey
Notable Eastern Screech-Owl Trends
No notable trend signals for Eastern Screech-Owl. See the full index history below.
Eastern Screech-Owl Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Eastern Screech-Owl is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.01 (95% range 0.00–0.01). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±17.1%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| 2026 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| 2027 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| 2028 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| 2029 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
Where the Eastern Screech-Owl Is Detected
BBS routes recording Eastern Screech-Owl, sized by most recent count.
Eastern Screech-Owl Population Trend by State
| Alabama | -59% | 1970 | 45 |
| Arkansas | -37% | 1970 | 20 |
| Colorado | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Connecticut | -27% | 1976 | 9 |
| Delaware | insufficient data | n/a | 6 |
| Florida | -68% | 1968 | 43 |
| Georgia | -57% | 1974 | 44 |
| Illinois | -28% | 1972 | 26 |
| Indiana | -66% | 1971 | 12 |
| Iowa | -38% | 1974 | 14 |
| Kansas | +19% | 1986 | 9 |
| Kentucky | +0% | 1972 | 33 |
| Louisiana | -51% | 1972 | 18 |
| Maine | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Maryland | -54% | 1972 | 36 |
| Massachusetts | insufficient data | n/a | 6 |
| Michigan | -67% | 1977 | 17 |
| Minnesota | insufficient data | n/a | 7 |
| Mississippi | -50% | 1978 | 13 |
| Missouri | -71% | 1988 | 19 |
| Montana | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Nebraska | -50% | 1997 | 11 |
| New Hampshire | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| New Jersey | -12% | 1986 | 13 |
| New York | -36% | 1969 | 34 |
| North Carolina | -77% | 1974 | 46 |
| North Dakota | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| Ohio | +21% | 1968 | 24 |
| Oklahoma | -40% | 1974 | 14 |
| Pennsylvania | -72% | 1968 | 52 |
| Rhode Island | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| South Carolina | -53% | 1977 | 17 |
| South Dakota | -1% | 1973 | 10 |
| Tennessee | +21% | 1969 | 30 |
| Texas | -89% | 1969 | 58 |
| Vermont | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Virginia | -51% | 1969 | 35 |
| West Virginia | -57% | 1972 | 34 |
| Wisconsin | +16% | 1974 | 14 |
| Wyoming | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
Eastern Screech-Owl Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Prairie Potholes | -63% | 1977 | 14 |
| Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain | -40% | 1971 | 25 |
| Badlands and Prairies | -42% | 1974 | 11 |
| Central Mixed Grass Prairie | +29% | 1974 | 22 |
| Edwards Plateau | -65% | 1978 | 10 |
| Oaks and Prairies | -55% | 1971 | 16 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | -31% | 1971 | 56 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | -43% | 1971 | 32 |
| Central Hardwoods | -38% | 1968 | 67 |
| West Gulf Coastal Plain / Ouachitas | +12% | 1970 | 28 |
| Mississippi Alluvial Valley | -57% | 1978 | 13 |
| Southeastern Coastal Plain | -58% | 1968 | 133 |
| Appalachian Mountains | -69% | 1968 | 185 |
| Piedmont | -73% | 1970 | 58 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | -3% | 1969 | 50 |
| Peninsular Florida | -68% | 1970 | 28 |
| Tamaulipan Brushlands | -85% | 1970 | 16 |
Eastern Screech-Owl Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it down about 74% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.