The western screech owl’s bill is blackish or dark gray at the base, but gray-plumaged individuals are otherwise nearly identical in appearance and habits to the Eastern gray morph birds.

On the chilly morning of Dec. 5, Alex Patton headed into a coffee shop in Utica. On his way out, he glanced across the nearby stream and noticed the bird in the accompanying photo. Sharp-eyed ...

A homeowner called Blackland Prairie Raptor Center, a bird rehabilitation center based in Allen, after hearing an eastern screech owl that appeared distressed and finding it stuck in a basketball ...