Ontario · Year-round resident

Eastern Screech-Owls in Ontario

When eastern screech-owls are present in Ontario, when they nest, which native Ontario plants feed them, and how to host them in a Canadian zones 0a–7a yard.

Owls (Strigidae)Eastern Screech-OwlMegascops asio

Status in Ontario: Year-round resident
Nesting window: April–May
Broods: 1 per season
Hardiness zones: Canadian zones 0a–7a (southern Ontario roughly equivalent to USDA 4–6)
Nest box: 3 in hole, 8 × 8 in floor, 10–30 ft

When to expect eastern screech-owls in Ontario

Eastern Screech-Owls live in Ontario all year. Cold, snowy winters; feeder flocks are dominated by chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and finches. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward mice and roosting birds.

Humid continental in the south, boreal and subarctic in the north; most backyard birding happens in the southern Great Lakes lowlands.

Nesting in Ontario

Across Ontario, eastern screech-owls typically nest from April–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.

Short, warm summers; Point Pelee and Long Point are continent-famous migration sites.

Have boxes cleaned and mounted before March — 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.

Native Ontario plants that attract eastern screech-owls

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

Sugar maple

Acer saccharum · Tree

Insects, seeds and cavities.

Flowering dogwood

Cornus florida · Tree

Fat-rich red fall fruit taken by thrushes, bluebirds and woodpeckers.

Serviceberry

Amelanchier arborea · Tree

Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.

White oak

Quercus alba · Tree

Acorns plus hundreds of caterpillar species for nestling food.

Bur oak

Quercus macrocarpa · Tree

Drought-hardy prairie oak with large acorns and a heavy insect load.

Black cherry

Prunus serotina · Tree

Summer fruit and one of the top caterpillar host trees.

American elderberry

Sambucus canadensis · Shrub

Late-summer berry clusters taken by over 40 bird species.

Arrowwood viburnum

Viburnum dentatum · Shrub

Blue-black fall fruit and dense nesting cover.

Feeding eastern screech-owls through the Ontario year

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 Ontario's winter: Cold, snowy winters; feeder flocks are dominated by chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and finches.

Full diet breakdown for eastern screech-owls

Frequently asked

Are eastern screech-owls in Ontario year-round?

Yes. Eastern Screech-Owls are year-round residents in Ontario.

When do eastern screech-owls nest in Ontario?

Nesting in Ontario typically runs April–May, with 1 per season. Clutches are 2–6 eggs, incubated for 26–34 days.

What native plants attract eastern screech-owls in Ontario?

Sugar maple, Flowering dogwood, Serviceberry, White oak, Bur oak, Black cherry, American elderberry, Arrowwood viburnum are native plants in Ontario that provide food or cover for eastern screech-owls.

What size birdhouse hole do eastern screech-owls need?

3 in, with a floor of 8 × 8 in mounted 10–30 ft.

Other backyard birds in Ontario

Northern Cardinal Eastern Bluebird Black-capped Chickadee Purple Martin Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Goldfinch Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Blue Jay House Finch Purple Finch Ruby-throated Hummingbird Carolina Wren Mourning Dove American Robin Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Red-bellied Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Red-headed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Common Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Orchard Oriole Rose-breasted Grosbeak Evening Grosbeak Pine Siskin Common Redpoll Indigo Bunting Eastern Towhee Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Eastern Phoebe Chimney Swift Yellow-rumped Warbler Pine Warbler Wood Thrush Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird American Tree Sparrow House Sparrow European Starling Canada Jay

Sources

Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.