---
title: "Eastern screech owl weighs under 9 ounces and whinnies like a tiny horse instead of screeching"
url: https://badiyaa.com/eastern-screech-owl-size-calls-camouflage/
published: 2026-11-12T11:05:00+00:00
modified: 2026-11-12T11:05:00+00:00
section: Pets & Animals
publisher: Badiyaa
---

# Eastern screech owl weighs under 9 ounces and whinnies like a tiny horse instead of screeching

The eastern screech owl weighs 121 to 244 grams, hides in red or gray camouflage, and calls with a horse-like whinny rather than a screech.

The eastern screech owl tips the scales at somewhere between 121 and 244 grams, under 9 ounces even for the heaviest birds, and despite its name it almost never screeches. Its signature sound is a falling, horse-like whinny, so the bird you hear in a dark backyard in Ohio or Georgia is more pony than banshee.

That mismatch between name and voice is only the start. This compact, ear-tufted hunter lives alongside people across eastern North America, from Canada down into Mexico, and most of its neighbors never see it.

## How big is an eastern screech owl?

Adults measure roughly 16 to 25 centimeters (about 6.5 to 10 inches) from head to tail, according to the [species account on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_screech_owl). The [Maryland Department of Natural Resources](https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/plants_wildlife/Eastern_Screech_Owl.aspx) puts their height at under 9 inches. Wings spread 46 to 61 centimeters, and females run heavier than males: in Ohio, males average about 166 grams and females about 194.

To put that in kitchen terms, a typical male weighs about the same as a medium apple, while still taking prey such as rats, young rabbits and doves. Early naturalists were impressed enough by that ferocity to call these birds “feathered wildcats.”

## The whinny and the trill

Screech owls have two main calls. The first is a descending tremolo that sounds like a miniature horse whinnying. The second is a steady, single-pitch purring trill that can run for three to five seconds. Maryland’s wildlife agency says the whinny is mostly used to defend territory, while the trill is the softer sound pairs and families use with each other, and both sexes call.

Spring is the noisiest season, because that is when pairs are establishing nest sites. If you hear a long, even purr from a tree after dark, it is likely a mated pair keeping in touch rather than an alarm.

## Red owls, gray owls and near-perfect camouflage

The species comes in two main color forms, known as the gray morph and the red or rufous morph. Maryland’s guide notes that no other owl in the eastern United States is red. Gray birds dominate in the north, rusty ones in the south: about 79% of the population in Tennessee is red, and red birds are also the majority in Illinois.

Both forms carry fine bars and streaks that break up the owl’s outline against bark. A gray owl pressed against a hardwood trunk, or a red one tucked into a pine or among turning leaves, can sit in plain view all day without being spotted. One theory for the north-south split is metabolic: rufous birds appear to burn energy faster and suffered higher losses in cold winters.

## A quick field guide

- **Look for:** a round head with pointed ear tufts, yellow eyes and an olive-yellow bill.

- **Listen for:** the descending whinny or the long, level trill, especially on spring nights.

- **Don’t confuse with:** the northern saw-whet owl, which is smaller, browner and has no ear tufts.

- **Where:** woodlots, parks, orchards and leafy suburbs, often in tree cavities or nest boxes.

## Why they do so well in suburbs

Few North American owls cope with development as well as this one. Screech owls nest in old woodpecker holes and readily move into nest boxes, and they have been recorded on top of a street light in a busy town square. Studies summarized on Wikipedia found that suburban populations can be denser and raise larger broods than rural ones, helped by warmer urban temperatures and plenty of sparrows and mice.

Badiyaa has followed other small owls this autumn, including the [tiny northern saw-whet owl and its tooting migration call](https://badiyaa.com/northern-saw-whet-owl-toot-call-migration/), the [short-eared owl’s spring courtship hoots](https://badiyaa.com/short-eared-owl-hooting-call-clip/) and a [barn owl family nesting in a Manhattan water tower](https://badiyaa.com/barn-owls-nest-upper-west-side-manhattan/).

Living near people has costs, too. Cars, trains and windows kill many screech owls, and great horned owls can wipe out up to 78% of a local population. The oldest wild eastern screech owl on record, according to Maryland’s wildlife agency, was more than 14 years old.

## Further reading

- [Wikipedia: Eastern screech owl](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_screech_owl)

- [Maryland DNR: Eastern Screech Owl](https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/plants_wildlife/Eastern_Screech_Owl.aspx)

*Image: Andrew C, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons*

*This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by our Editorial Desk. [How we work](https://badiyaa.com/editorial-policy/).*