Owls (Strigidae)
Baby eastern screech-owls: from egg to fledgling
A Eastern Screech-Owl lays 2–6 eggs. They hatch after 26–34 days, and the young leave the nest about 28 days later — about 54–62 days from egg to fledgling.
- Eggs per clutch
- 2–6 eggs
- Incubation
- 26–34 days
- Time in the nest
- about 28 days
- Egg to fledgling
- About 54–62 days
- Broods per year
- 1 per season
- Nest
- Tree cavity or nest box with wood-chip base
- Uses nest boxes
- Yes — 3 in hole
Stage by stage
- Eggs (26–34 days): 2–6 eggs per clutch. Most songbirds start incubating when the last or second-to-last egg is laid, so the young hatch close together; owls and hawks start with the first egg, so their chicks hatch days apart.
- Nestlings (about 28 days): the young hatch with little or no down and their eyes closed. They grow fast on a diet the parents bring in. In the breeding season eastern screech-owls mainly eat moths, crickets and small rodents.
- Fledglings: after leaving the nest, young eastern screech-owls are fully feathered but short-tailed and clumsy. They spend days to weeks on low branches or the ground while the parents keep feeding them.
- More broods: 1 per season.
When eastern screech-owls nest, state by state
Nesting starts earliest in Alabama (Feb) and latest in Maine (Apr). Months are estimates from regional breeding data shifted for latitude.
| State / province | Nesting season |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Feb–May |
| Arkansas | Mar–May |
| Colorado | Mar–May |
| Connecticut | Mar–May |
| Delaware | Mar–May |
| Florida | Feb–May |
| Georgia | Feb–May |
| Illinois | Mar–May |
| Indiana | Mar–May |
| Iowa | Mar–May |
| Kansas | Mar–May |
| Kentucky | Mar–May |
| Louisiana | Feb–May |
| Maine | Apr–May |
| Maryland | Mar–May |
| Massachusetts | Mar–May |
| Michigan | Mar–May |
| Minnesota | Apr–May |
| Mississippi | Feb–May |
| Missouri | Mar–May |
| Montana | Apr–May |
| Nebraska | Mar–May |
| New Hampshire | Apr–May |
| New Jersey | Mar–May |
| New York | Mar–May |
| North Carolina | Mar–May |
| North Dakota | Apr–May |
| Ohio | Mar–May |
| Oklahoma | Mar–May |
| Ontario | Apr–May |
| Pennsylvania | Mar–May |
| Quebec | Apr–May |
| Rhode Island | Mar–May |
| South Carolina | Feb–May |
| South Dakota | Mar–May |
| Tennessee | Mar–May |
| Texas | Feb–May |
| Vermont | Apr–May |
| Virginia | Mar–May |
| West Virginia | Mar–May |
| Wisconsin | Apr–May |
| Wyoming | Apr–May |
Found a baby Eastern Screech-Owl?
- Feathered, hopping, can grip your finger: a fledgling. This is a normal stage. Keep pets and children away and watch from a distance; the parents are usually close by.
- Bare skin or only pin feathers: a nestling that fell. If you can see the nest, put it back. Touching it won't make the parents abandon it — that is a myth.
- Injured, cold, covered in flies, or caught by a cat: contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. In the US and Canada, ahnow.org finds the nearest one.
- Don't give water or food. Baby birds can choke, and the wrong food can kill them.
More about eastern screech-owls
Frequently asked
How long do baby eastern screech-owls stay in the nest?
About about 28 days after hatching. Eggs take 26–34 days to hatch, so it is roughly 54–62 days from the last egg to the young leaving.
How many eggs does a Eastern Screech-Owl lay?
2–6 eggs per clutch, with 1 per season.
Where do eastern screech-owls nest?
Tree cavity or nest box with wood-chip base.
What should I do if I find a baby Eastern Screech-Owl on the ground?
If it has feathers and hops, it is a fledgling and its parents are almost certainly nearby — leave it. If it is naked or has pin feathers, put it back in the nest if you can. Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator if it is injured.