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Short-eared Owl

Asio flammeusOrder: STRIGIFORMESFamily: True Owls (Strigidae)

Short-eared Owl Portrait_2
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General

Short-eared Owl: Medium-sized owl with light and dark brown mottled upperparts and dark-streaked, pale buff underparts. Head has large, round, pale buff facial disk with fine, brown tinges, black around eyes, and small ear tufts. Eyes are yellow and bill is black. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Short-eared Owl: Occurs on every continent except Australia and Antarctica; prefers open spaces such as grasslands, prairies, agricultural fields, salt marshes, estuaries, mountain meadows, and tundra.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"voo-hoo-hoo", "kee-ow"

Interesting Facts

  • The Short-eared Owl was first described in 1763 by Danish bishop and amateur naturalist, Erich Ludvigsen Pontoppidan. They have also been called the Evening Owl, Marsh Owl Bog Owl, Grass Owl, Meadow Owl, Mouse-hawk, and Flat-faced Owl.
  • Males perform aerial displays in courtship by rising quickly with rhythmic and exaggerated wing beats, gliding down, and rising again, often 200 to 400 meters high. The flight may end with a spectacular descent where the male hold his wings aloft and drops rapidly toward the ground.
  • Their conservation depends on protecting relatively large, open sites that support small rodents. Abandoned agricultural land quickly becomes unsuitable for these owls because they either become woodlands or are replaced by development.
  • A group of owls has many collective nouns, including a "bazaar", "glaring", "parliament", "stooping", and "wisdom" of owls.


Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for Short-eared Owl
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family
Species Asio flammeus
Length13 - 17 Inches
Wingspan40 Inches

Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl: Medium owl, light and dark brown mottled upperparts and dark-streaked, pale buff underparts. Head has large, round, pale buff facial disk with fine, brown tinges, black around eyes, and small ear tufts. Eyes are yellow and bill is black. Flight is erratic with flopping wing beats.

● Song: "voo-hoo-hoo", "kee-ow"

● Foraging & Feeding: Short-eared Owl: Eats voles, mice, shrews, ground squirrels, pocket gophers, pocket mice, moles, rats, small rabbits, and muskrats; also takes small birds and large insects; forages mostly at night.

● Breeding & nesting: Short-eared Owl: Lays three to eleven white eggs in a ground nest lined with grass and downy feathers; nest is usually built on a slight ridge or mound with enough vegetation for concealment. Female incubates eggs for 25 to 29 days.

● Similar species: Short-eared Owl: Long-eared Owl has a smaller "wrist" patch, buff underwings, and a darker belly. Burrowing Owl is much smaller and has a pale bill.

Flight Pattern

Bouyant flight., Erratic flight with flopping wing beats.
Short-eared Owl Body Illustration_2
● Range & Habitat: Short-eared Owl: Occurs on every continent except Australia and Antarctica; prefers open spaces such as grasslands, prairies, agricultural fields, salt marshes, estuaries, mountain meadows, and tundra.
BreedingMonogamous, Sometimes forms small colonies
PopulationFairly common, Declining
MigrationMigratory
Weight11.1 Ounces