Screech-Owl Bands of RillitoBend

-Article by Melanie Campbell-Carter
Photos by Murray DeArmond, Larry Bird, and Melanie Campbell-Carter

Click HERE to listen to the night song of the Western Screech-Owl (Megascops kennicotti)
 

This spring, a small group of neighbors was invited to watch RillitoBend resident and Board advisor Mike Shaw band four Western Screech-Owl chicks from a Clay’s Alley nest box. This was the second year the adult female raised chicks in that box, confirmed by the number on her ankle bracelet. Banding the birds enables scientists to track the movements of individual birds and estimate their ages. We have had active nests in several neighbors properties for the last 3 years.

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Mike says the best time to band chicks is at about 20-24 days after hatching. He climbed the ladder, blocked off the front door, then opened the back door and removed the adult female first. After weighing and measuring her and recording her leg band number, he passed her to Estelle and Mike returned to the box to retrieve the four chicks.

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He weighed and measured each chick, then measured their leg and attached a band. In owls, the legs and feet grow fastest and are adult-sized by 20 days of age, so there is no worry in attaching a band that is just right in size. All the data is recorded in his field journal. He returned the family to their box safely, then tended to the scratches on his own hands and arms!

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Eventually, with enough urban nest boxes and volunteers, Mike will be able to identify second and third generation nesting birds. The Western Screech-Owls of Tucson will then contribute data to a Hawkwatch project taking place in the Chiricahuas that is examining populations of owls living in four different environments (wildland, urban, commercial, and agricultural).

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For more information about Hawkwatch International, please see their website, Hawkwatch.org. There are several ways to support their research, and Mike (mshaw@hawkwatch.org) welcomes your questions and your support.

Watch for the next blog post, Raptor Rapture.  Learn about Mike Shaw's research and the southeast Arizona Hawkwatch International nest box studies.

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View Banding Videos, May 2024

READ MORE ABOUT THE WESTERN SCREECH OWL

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE WESTERN SCREECH-OWL

Article by Melanie Campbell-Carter
Photos by Melanie Campbell-Carter and Mike Shaw

The Western Screech-Owl male starts off the breeding season by courting a female. He calls to her, then brings her gifts and tasty treats. If she is sufficiently impressed with the goodies, she will consent to take a tour of his territory. The male will have a territory that not only includes good hunting but also a safe cavity or nest box for the family home. If she finds it all acceptable, then they will mate.

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Females incubate 2-4 eggs (occasionally 5) for 30 days inside the nest box (or natural cavity). If there is space for both adults, the whole family lives together. If not, the male will find a bachelor pad nearby while the female stays with the chicks. Both parents hunt and feed the chicks after they hatch.

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When the chicks are about 30 days old, they are ready to leave the nest and learn to fly. If you see an owl chick on the ground in the spring, THAT’S OKAY. That is what they do – they fall out of the cavity to the ground, and you can be certain that the parents are very close by. If you think the chick is in imminent danger due to domestic pets in the vicinity, you can try to gently lift it to a tree branch. There is NO need to call wildlife rescue. 

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Chick mortality is rather high no matter whether they live in town or out in the wild, because of this 24-hour period when the chick is out of the nest but not yet flying. Within 24 hours, most chicks have figured out how to flap their wings and stay close to their parents. Chicks are fed by the adults for about thirty days, while they learn how to hunt and find their own food. At that point, they are sent out into the world to find their own territories – hasta la vista, babies! The adults remain in their home territory until the next breeding season, and they mate again.

Western Screech-Owls prey on small animals like mice, birds, and lizards. In our area, their main predator is the Cooper’s hawk. Other predators include larger owls like the Great Horned Owl. Near roadways, the Screech-Owl can be killed by motor vehicles. Rodenticide (poison bait) is a notorious killer of raptors. If a raptor eats a mouse or rat that has ingested poison, the bird may also die from the poison. Please use other means to manage rodents on your property.