Their faces remind you of wise, sleepy old men. The screech owl is the only small Texas owl with ear tufts. There are two color phases, red-brown and gray, no relation to age or sex. They nest in tree cavities or old woodpecker holes. The female lays 4-5 white, oval eggs. The screech owl hunts mostly at night. He can sneak up on his mostly rodent prey because the sound he makes in flight is something like the sound made by hundreds of aphids spitting on a boll of cotton. Their feathers are very flexible allowing them silent flight. They use their sense of hearing to locate prey and have excellent eyesight. Prey is swallowed whole and indigestible material is expelled through the beak in the form of a pellet.

Eric Neupert, Curator of the Heard Raptor Center, picked up these babies. It has already been a busy season. He reported he has on hand 31 screech owls, 21 great horned owls, 14 red-tailed hawks, one family each of kestrels and barred owls. All these birds must be fed regularly, cleaned, and exercised. Eric needs help. If you are interested as a volunteer or you would like to offer donations please call 972- 562-5560. These birds are nurtured until they can be released back into the wild. The task requires dedication and commitment. We hope you can help.

Owls can be annoying at times. I stood in front of their cage for the longest time repeating my name.