By Cephas - Cannings, R. J., T. Angell, P. Pyle, and M. A. Patten (2017). Western Screech-Owl (Megascops kennicottii), version 3.0. In The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. ULaval, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
The western screech owl is native to Canada, United States, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. Its habitat includes temperate forests, subtropical and tropical montane forests, shrubland, desert, rural fields, and even suburban parks and gardens.
tropical montane forest By Peter coxhead - Own work, CC0, Link
Although the western screech owl is slowly declining in the Pacific Northwest, the species is considered "of low conservation concern" due to their nocturnality and general ability to live alongside humans in surrounding trees. Their population is estimated to be 180,000 according to the Avian Conservation Assessment Database Scores. In areas densely populated by people, human noise can be a disturbance to their creation of nest cavities and human devastation of forests negatively affects their habitat. Climate disasters such as fires and heat waves can endanger their livelihood. Humans have made efforts to provide manmade shelter, such as nest boxes, for western screech owls. The owls have proven to be receptive to these habitats.