Twig
- Species - Eastern screech-owl (red morph)
- Scientific name - Megascops asio
- Hatch year - 2021
- Sex - male
- Weight - 4.5 oz
- Location of origin - Virginia
- Unreleasable due to behavioral abnormality - habituated / possibly imprinted
- Flighted - Yes
Twig was hatched in 2021, and came to our facility due to behavioral concerns. While it’s unknown whether he is fully imprinted on humans, he’s too socialized to be released in the wild.
Screech owls are cavity nesters, meaning they don’t build stick nests like other raptors. Some birds, such as woodpeckers, will create cavities in trees, and eastern screech owls will live in these kinds of cavities. One of the biggest threats to cavity nesters is deforestation (which leads to habitat loss), so one way you can help is by building nest boxes. Nest boxes are a sort of birdhouse, and instructions for how to build one for eastern screech owls can be found with a simple Google search!
Even though Twig and Birch are both the same species of owl, they are very different colors. Twig is known as a “red morph” eastern screech-owl, and Birch is a “gray morph” eastern screech owl. The gray morph prevails in MN, but we do see red morphs as well. The different color plumage allows them to camouflage better in different environments.
