NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Eastern Screech Owl
Megascops asio (Linnaeus, 1758)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The eastern screech owl (Megascops asio) or eastern screech-owl is a stocky, short-tailed owl that is relatively common in Eastern North America, from Mexico to Canada. Mid-sized for a screech owl, the species resides in most types of woodland habitats across its range and is relatively adaptable to urban and developed areas compared to other owls. Although it often lives in close proximity to humans, the eastern screech owl frequently avoids detection due to its strictly nocturnal habits.
Wikipedia contributors, Eastern screech owl; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:17:26.843327+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Megascops asio (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Common name
- Eastern Screech Owl
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Strigidae
- Genus
- Megascops
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderStrigiformes
- familyStrigidae
- subfamilyStriginae
- genusMegascops Kaup, 1848
- speciesMegascops asio (Linnaeus, 1758)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Megascops. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| White-throated Screech OwlMegascops albogularis (Cassin, 1849) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-capped Screech OwlMegascops atricapilla (Temminck, 1822) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bearded Screech OwlMegascops barbarus (P. L. Sclater & Salvin, 1868) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cloud-forest Screech OwlMegascops marshalli (Weske & Terborgh, 1981) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tawny-bellied Screech OwlMegascops watsonii (Cassin, 1849) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Whiskered Screech OwlMegascops trichopsis (Wagler, 1832) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tropical Screech OwlMegascops choliba (Vieillot, 1817) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rufescent Screech OwlMegascops ingens (Salvin, 1897) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Balsas Screech OwlMegascops seductus (R. T. Moore, 1941) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Otus asio (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonym |
| Strix asio Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
North America
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=686658 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3YXDW. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.