Eastern Screech-Owl.  A somewhat uncommon small (8-9 in. tall) woodland owl of southern  Minnesota. This one was spending the winter in our old barn.  This small rodent hunter comes in two color phases:  gray (shown above) and brownish.  It does not really "screech." Some have described the sound as more like the whinny of a horse or a trill.  We seem to have a resident population of Screech Owls at our place; although we do not see them often, as they are nocturnal and secretive.