screech owl
1
5.5
- noun
- /skriːtʃ aʊl/
- US
:
búho chillón
- In the quiet of the night, the screech owl hooted from a nearby tree, its call echoing through the forest.
- heard a screech owl
- call of a screech owl
- western screech owl
Examples
-
But I stayed with the other flashlight and waited for the screech owl to call again.
Fiction book (1997) -
And sometimes at night we did hear unutterably sad cries, sad lost cries for help: screech owls.
Academic text (2007) -
We heard a screech owl across the river, and my father called to it.
Fiction book (1997) -
Somewhere among them, a screech owl gave its tremulous call.
Academic text (2007) -
In addition, the nature center's variety of live native hawks and screech owls was displayed outside for a natural lighting portrait session.
Academic text (1997) -
She told me about grey herons, screech owls, flying squirrels, and fireflies that coasted right by her window.
Academic text (2007) -
During our hike, we were lucky to spot a screech owl perched silently on a branch, ready to hunt.
-
As dusk fell, the distinct sound of a screech owl filled the air, signaling the start of its nocturnal activities.
Synonyms
A small North American owl with hornlike feather tufts and a high trembling whistle
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'screech' (a loud, high-pitched cry) combined with 'owl' straightforwardly denotes an owl that makes a screeching sound. This noun+noun descriptive pattern is common in English and cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner knowing both constituents would readily infer the sense.
Etymology
Screech owl: The name screech owl comes from the bird's loud screech. Because this small owl makes a high, sharp 'call', people used that sound as the bird's name, so the name tells you what the bird sounds like.