This is bird note.

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

Avery'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 whinnies 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 Winnie to defend territory.

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

Oh, hoon-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. hooting a rhythmic duet. These night singers, western screechowls, 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 of forests, swamps, and suburban parks.

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

For Bird Note, I'm Mary McCann.