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

In nesting season, loud eeee-yerp or a toot-toot-toot-toot-toot.

Interesting Facts

 The Short-eared Owl was first described in 1763 by Danish bishop and amateur naturalist, Erich Ludvigsen Pontoppidan. Their species name "flammeus" means fiery, flaming, or the color of fire. 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.

The conservation of Short-eared Owls 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 of owls", "a glaring of owls", "a parliament of owls", "a stooping of owls", and a "wisdom of owls."

Author

Gary Owen Dick