This is Bird Note.

At the close of a summer day, the songbirds go silent.

A Viri's final notes reverberate in near darkness.

And as if on cue, the true birds of the night now make their voices known.

In an eastern woodland, the eerie trills and winnies of an eastern screech owl are among the first sounds of the night.

An eastern screech owl is petite, standing just under nine inches tall,

mates trill to one another during courtship, and winny to defend territory.

When night falls west of the Rockies, a different pair of small owls combine voices hooting a rhythmic duet.

These night singers, western screech owls, are found in low elevation woodlands and deserts.

But there's another bird whose voice will drown out the loudest of screech owls.

These are the rhythmic hoots of a barred owl, a large stocky bird, a forest swamps and suburban parks.

Pairs may break into a rollicking duet, sometimes called their monkey call.

For Bird Note, I'm Mary McCann.