Only occasionally seen, the Eastern Screech Owl is often mistaken for a baby Great Horned Owl. This owl is so small that it rarely exceeds eight inches in height - from the tips of its ear tufts down to its tail. Its diminutive size and camouflage coloring makes it nearly impossible to see when perched high in the tree tops. Indeed this owl's plumage ranges from rusty red to mottled gray, and it blends in perfectly with the bark of many trees. The Eastern Screech Owl's eyes and beak are as yellow and dark as the Great Horned Owl's.

The Eastern Screech Owl lays 4 to 5 white eggs, and it has the same nesting preferences as the American Kestrel. It doesn't make a nest of its own, but it inhabits old woodpecker cavities and niches in buildings.