Data and Code from: Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio maxwelliae) response to tree cover and climate in an understudied portion of its range

The habitat needs of common species can be understudied due to a focus on rarity and the prevention of extinction within traditional conservation policy and practice. Yet even common species are not immune to anthropogenic pressures on the environment, and understanding habitat needs for common species is critical information for management. This is the case for Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio), a common species that is poorly studied in the west/northwest portion of its broad range across the central and eastern United States. Our objective was to explore environmental factors associated with Eastern Screech-Owl (maxwelliae subspecies) breeding season occupancy dynamics in this understudied region and to inform local land management efforts. To address this objective, we used 9 years of occupancy data (2013–2021) from a participatory science monitoring program in a mid-sized suburban city (Fort Collins, Colorado, USA). We found that Eastern Screech-Owl persistence probability decreased while colonization probability increased with aggregation of tree cover and average breeding season temperature. We also found colonization probability increased with cumulative winter precipitation, and persistence probability decreased with average winter minimum temperature. Overall, our results suggest that this population of Eastern Screech-Owls responds to climate before and during the breeding season in complex ways, and that this species appears to experience high turnover in this study area along the western edge of its continental range. Our study highlights the importance of investigating how common species respond to their environment across the full extent of their distributions.