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Definition of screech owl
screech owl
Plural:screech owls
screech owl Lexical Profile
CEFR
B2
Grade
6
Tier
2
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
North American Any of various small, primarily nocturnal owls native to the Americas (genus Megascops), characterized by prominent ear tufts and a distinctive, high-pitched trilling or whinnying call.
Example
"During our evening hike, we heard the unmistakable trill of a screech owl echoing from the hollow of an old oak tree."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for screech owlUsage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Screech owl. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 16, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/screech owl