A screech owl in a relaxed mood is shaped like a very small football – rounded with a slightly tapered top and bottom. Rile one up, though, and you will see a changed bird – elongated, ear-feathers erect, and a “don’t you dare!” expression on its face.
The screech owl in this video was hanging out on a branch one night, hoping to find a bug for supper, when a gray fox wandered by on the trail below. Apparently screech owls do not like foxes. In matter of seconds, our little owl morphed from a football into a fire-cracker. If we hadn’t been able to watch the transformation from start to finish we would have sworn we were looking at a completely different bird.
Take a look at the video clip. We think you’ll agree.