The mysterious Crested Owl crushed the barn owl with a Caribbean tan, the Ashy Faced Owl. The Crested lets its trademark brows do all the talking. Otherwise this owl hasn’t shared many secrets with us.

On the other end of today’s matchup, we have quite the opposite of mysterious. The Screech Owl, specifically the Eastern Screech we’ve been looking at, is one of the best known owls. This little horned owl is probably the best gateway for someone getting into the wild world of owls. It’s small, it’s cute even when it’s grumpy, it has a beautiful voice, it comes in 3 distinct colors (red is usually the real crowd pleaser), they’re plentiful, they’re plumicorned, and I could just go on and on about their virtues.

Does the dark allure of Central American jungle call to you? Are extreme eyebrows a things you never knew you desired? Upvote that Crested.

Maybe you’ve spent your youth chasing those wild owls your parents warned you about and you’re ready to appreciate that owl next door that’s always been just across the yard. You like that fancy White Faced Owl, but can’t afford an African expedition? Screech Owl has almost all the perks of that guy, but without needing to travel halfway around the world. If you want that classic loveable owl, a scops owl like the Eastern Screech is hard to pass up. Give Screech your upvote now if it’s the one for you.