screech owl
or screech-owl
any of numerous small American owls of the genus Otus, having hornlike tufts of feathers, as O. asio, of eastern North America.
(not in technical use) any owl having a harsh cry, especially the barn owl.
Origin of screech owl
1Words Nearby screech owl
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use screech owl in a sentence
Only in one of the trees a screech owl, still under the impression that it was night, continued his curious wailing.
The Camp Fire Girls at the End of the Trail | Margaret VandercookA little screech owl tuned up in the distance, a barn owl replied, and a great horned owl drowned both their voices.
A Girl Of The Limberlost | Gene Stratton PorterA screech owl called and startled her; Tory had a sudden attack of nerves; running ahead a few yards, she stumbled.
The Girl Scouts in Beechwood Forest | Margaret VandercookThey had on the right side of the head a thick tuft of screech owl feathers, the distinctive sign of the band.
The Pirates of the Prairies | Gustave AimardHe then declares that the disease is caused by a mere screech owl, which he at once banishes to the laurel thicket.
The Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees | James Mooney
British Dictionary definitions for screech owl
a small North American owl, Otus asio, having ear tufts and a reddish-brown or grey plumage
British any owl that utters a screeching cry
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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