Eastern Screech-Owls in Illinois

Eastern Screech-Owls live in Illinois all year. Cold, windy winters in the north; the southern tip is milder and hosts more wintering species. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward mice and roosting birds.

Humid continental, grading from the Lake Michigan shore and prairie north to the forested Shawnee Hills in the south.

Across Illinois, eastern screech-owls typically nest from March–May. Nest site: tree cavity or nest box with wood-chip base. Females lay 2–6 eggs, incubate for 26–34 days, and young leave the nest after about 28 days.

Hot, humid summers; much of the state is farmland, so backyard native plantings matter.

• Have boxes cleaned and mounted before February — eastern screech-owls begin prospecting ahead of egg-laying.
• Use a 3 in entrance on a 8 × 8 in floor, mounted 10–30 ft.
• Fit a pole baffle or hole guard; ventilation gaps and drainage holes are essential.
• Clean out old nests after each brood and again after May.

Of the regional native plants we track for Illinois, these 8 provide food or cover eastern screech-owls use:

Screech-owls roost in nest boxes by day; a box on a large tree 10–30 ft up is often used year after year.

• Best foods: .
• In Illinois's winter: Cold, windy winters in the north; the southern tip is milder and hosts more wintering species.

Full diet breakdown for eastern screech-owls