Screech owl Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun any owl that has a screeching cry
  2. noun small North American owl having hornlike tufts of feathers whose call sounds like a quavering whistle
    Otus asio.

WordNet

Definitions
  1. . (Zoöl.) (a) A small American owl (Scops asio), either gray or reddish in color . (b) The European barn owl. The name is applied also to other species.

Webster 1913