Eastern Screech Owls are small owls measuring 6.5–10 inches tall with a wingspan of 18-24 inches. They weigh less than ½ pound. They can be found wherever there are trees, and they cannot survive if all trees are removed. They nest in holes and cavities, but never dig one themselves. They build no nest, with the female laying eggs on whatever debris is at the bottom of her nesting cavity. Settling in, she makes a body-shaped depression where her eggs lie.

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The males are smaller than the females and are more agile fliers and hunters. The female does not hunt while on the nest, she and the chicks depend on food brought to them by the male. They eat most kinds of small animals, including birds and mammals as well as earthworms, insects, frogs, and lizards. Small birds taken as prey include flycatchers, swallows, finches, jays, doves, and woodpeckers. They regurgitate the bones, fur, and feathers of their prey in an oval pellet, once or twice a day.

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Red and gray owls occur across their range with about one-third of all individuals being red. The Eastern Screech Owl pairs are monogamous and remain together for life. They have one brood a year with 2-6 eggs. Incubation is 27-34 days with a nestling period of 26-30 days. At hatching the chicks are covered in white down, with eyes closed. Nestlings fight fiercely among themselves for food and sometimes even kill their smallest sibling. At fledging, the young first hop to the ground or nearby branches, using feet and fluttering wings to climb back to safety. They depend on their parents for food for 8-10 weeks. Gradually, as the young gain skill, they begin to roost and hunt apart from their parents and siblings.

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The oldest recorded Eastern Screech Owl in the wild was at least 14 years, 6 months. They are of low conservation concern. Their small size, territorial tolerance and broadly varied diet make this own a successful survivor.