Lemmings, rabbits, squirrels, mink, muskrats. Silent south of the breeding ground. Back to top of page. Strictly a nighttime owl. May be gray or rustred.
Trees often cedars or pines in farm groves, city lots, orchards or deep woods.
Mice, shrews, beetles, grasshoppers, moths, rats, moles, crayfish, fish and small birds. Nesting begins from March through May in Missouri. Four or five white, roundish eggs are laid, usually in a tree cavity, occasionally in bird houses and rarely in buildings. A quavering whistle that goes down the scale. Most often heard in spring and fall.