Screecher Feature: Owl Goes to Class

School can be a scream – or at least a screech – when you have someone like William visiting.
William the Western screech owl recently met first-graders at John Tuck Elementary School in Redmond, and it was – ahem – a hoot.

The class learned that the name screech owl is actually a misnomer. These owls don’t screech at all. They give a small hoot or whistle if the need arises.

Western screech owls are a common nocturnal sight year round in the High Desert. They eat small rodents, insects, tree frogs, and bats. Western screech owls weigh only one-third of a pound, but these raptors are still fierce hunters of the night. They have been known to hunt in groups to attack larger domestic fowl, such as chickens.

William was born in the wild. He came to the Museum in 1998 because he has a wing injury that prevents him from hunting, so he couldn’t survive in the wild. Museum wildlife staff estimate he is about 12 years old. The average life span of Western screech owls in the wild is about seven years. William has surpassed his life expectancy because of the care he receives here at the Museum.

If you’d like to have William or another High Desert animal to visit your classroom or organization, go to our school programs page at www.highdesertmuseum.org.