Screech Owl Camera

Last edited Tue Jun 5, 2018, 09:23 PM - Edit history (1)

The Fledging Period
Around late May or early June one young screech owl after the other ventures outside, taking short hopping flights to nearby branches. Despite their adult size and fully developed feathers, fledglings cannot fly and rely on a few days dependency to flap their wings and develop the necessary muscles. During this stage, the fledglings tend to group together, waiting for food from both parents. After three to five days, the young are able to make flights of up to thirty feet; and by their second week they can keep up with their parents.

The fledging period of screech owls is the most dangerous time in the birds’ lives. This is when they are most vulnerable to predators and accidents due to their inexperience. The birds must learn quickly to adapt to their immediate environment.

By their second week, they may have moved as much as 300 feet from the nest. Now the young screech owls begin to hunt, insects at first. They are still clumsy, and less successful in catching prey than the adults, but they are learning. This period in which the young remain in the nesting area lasts for eight to ten weeks during which the young birds hone their skills.

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