Eastern Screech-Owl

SCI Name:  Megascops asio
Protonym:  Strix Asio Syst.Nat.ed.10 p.92
Taxonomy:  Strigiformes / Strigidae / Megascops
Taxonomy Code:  easowl1
Type Locality:  America = South Carolina, ex Catesby.
Author:  Linnaeus
Publish Year:  1758
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

MEGASCOPS
(Strigidae; Ϯ Eastern Screech Owl M. asio) Gr. μεγας megas, μεγαλη  megalē  great; genus Scops Brünnich, 1772, owl. "5tes Subgenus. Megascops, Kp., Asiones, Schleg.  Schnabel vorgestreckt. Flügel kurz und stumpf. 1ste Schwinge so lang wie die 10te. 1ste bis 5te Schwinge an der Aussen- und Innenfahne deutlich ausgeschnitten. Fusswurzel befiedert. Zehen meist vollständig nackt.   8. Scops asio, Gr. Less." (Kaup 1851). The Eastern Screech Owl and its New World congeners were formerly placed in the genus Scops (= Otus).   
Synon. Athene, Gymnasio, Pseudociccaba.

ASIO
(Strigidae; † Long-eared Owl A. otus) "Asio. Genus 11.  ...  Moyen Duc  ...  ASIO  ...  On le trouve le plus souvent sur les montagnes & les endroits élèves" (Brisson 1760): based on "Asio" and "Otus" of Gessner 1555, and many other references; "Asio Brisson, Orn., 1, 1760, p. 28.  Type, by tautonymy, Asio Brisson = Strix otus Linné." (Peters, 1940, IV, p. 167).
Var. Azio.
Synon. Ascalaphus, Brachyotus, Nisuella, Noctua, Nyctalops, Phasmaptynx, Rhinoptynx, Rhinostrix.
• (Strigidae; syn. Bubo † Great Eagle Owl B. bubo) "ASIO, Antiq.  Horned Owls.  Head large, furnished with a double crest or egrets.  Ears and facial disk moderate, and the latter not always perfect.  Ears without an operculum.  Bill short, with the upper mandible sometimes festooned. (fig. 198.)    A. bubo. Pl. Enl. 435.    Virginiana. Wils. vi. pl. 50. 1." (Swainson 1837); "Asio Swainson 1837, Nat. Hist. Classification Birds, II, p. 217.  Type, by subsequent designation (G. Gray, 1855, Cat. Genera Subgenera Birds Brit. Mus., p. 9), Strix bubo." (JAJ 2020).
• (Strigidae; syn. Megascops † Eastern Screech Owl M. asio) "123. MEGASCOPS, Kaup, 1849.  (Strix asio, Linn.)   ...   123 = Asio, Schl. & Pr. B. 1853." (G. Gray, 1855, Cat. Genera Subgenera Birds Brit. Mus., pp. 9, 135 (Appendix)).  I have yet to locate the reference to Schlegel and Bonaparte, 1853.

asio
L. asio, asionis or axio, axionis  type of eared owl.
● "Otus Asio, ♂.  Small Horn-Owl.  ...  Otus Asio, ♀.  Small Horn-Owl." (Leach 1816 (ed. Salvin 1882)) (syn. Asio otus).
● "42. STRIX.  ...  Asio.  3. S. capite aurito, corpore supra ferrugineo subtus cinereo, alis punctis quinque albis.  Noctua aurita minor. Catesb. car. 1. p. 7. t. 7.  Habitat in America." (Linnaeus 1758) (Megascops).
● "GENUS XXXI.—SCOPS, Savigny.  ...  Sp. 1. Sc. Asio.  Strix Scops. Shaw, v. vii. p. 233.—Strix Carniolica. Shaw, v. vii. p. 231.—Strix pulchella. Shaw, v. vii. p. 239.—England and Europe." (Stephens in Shaw 1825) (syn. Otus scops).

SUBSPECIES

Eastern Screech-Owl (Northern)
SCI Name: Megascops asio [asio Group]
MEGASCOPS
(Strigidae; Ϯ Eastern Screech Owl M. asio) Gr. μεγας megas, μεγαλη  megalē  great; genus Scops Brünnich, 1772, owl. "5tes Subgenus. Megascops, Kp., Asiones, Schleg.  Schnabel vorgestreckt. Flügel kurz und stumpf. 1ste Schwinge so lang wie die 10te. 1ste bis 5te Schwinge an der Aussen- und Innenfahne deutlich ausgeschnitten. Fusswurzel befiedert. Zehen meist vollständig nackt.   8. Scops asio, Gr. Less." (Kaup 1851). The Eastern Screech Owl and its New World congeners were formerly placed in the genus Scops (= Otus).   
Synon. Athene, Gymnasio, Pseudociccaba.

Eastern Screech-Owl (McCall's)
SCI Name: Megascops asio mccallii
mccalli / mccallii
Brig.-Gen. George Archibald McCall (1802-1868) US Army 1822-1853, 1861-1863, zoologist, collector (Erythrocercus, syn. Ortalis vetula, subsp. Megascops asio).