The Short-eared owl (Asio flammeus) is one of the world's most widely distributed owls. Eared owls have tufts of feathers resembling mammalian ears. These "ear" tufts may or may not be visible. The Short-eared owl will display its tufts when in a defensive pose, although its very short tufts are usually not visible. The flight of this bird is characteristically floppy due to its irregular wingbeats and may also be described as "moth or bat-like" in flight.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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CrepuscularCrepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight (that is, the periods of dawn and dusk). This is distinguished from diurnal...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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PredatorPredators are animals that kill and eat other organisms, their prey. Predators may actively search for or pursue prey or wait for it, often conceal...
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Soaring birdsSoaring birds can maintain flight without wing flapping, using rising air currents. Many gliding birds are able to "lock" their extended wings by m...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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CosmopolitanAnimals with cosmopolitan distribution are those whose range extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. Another aspect of cos...
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NomadicNomadic animals regularly move to and from the same areas within a well-defined range. Most animals travel in groups in search of better territorie...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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Serial monogamySerial monogamy is a mating system in which a pair bonds only for one breeding season.
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Generally solitaryGenerally solitary animals are those animals that spend their time separately but will gather at foraging areas or sleep in the same location or sh...
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Partial MigrantPartial migration is when within a migratory species or even within a single population, some individuals migrate while others do not.
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starts withThe Short-eared owl is a medium-sized owl. It has large eyes, a big head, a short neck, and broad wings. Its bill is short, strong, hooked, and black. Its plumage is mottled tawny to brown with a barred tail and wings. The upper breast is significantly streaked. Its yellow-orange eyes are exaggerated by black rings encircling each eye, giving the appearance of the Short-eared owl wearing mascara, and large, whitish disks of plumage surrounding the eyes like a mask.
Short-eared owls occur on all continents except Antarctica and Australia. They breed in Europe, Asia, North and South America, the Caribbean, Hawaii and the Galápagos Islands. Short-eared owls are partially migratory, moving south in winter from the northern parts of their range. They will also wander nomadically in search of better food supplies during years when vole populations are low. These birds inhabit open country such as tundra, grasslands, savannahs, prairies, dunes, heathlands, meadows, marshes, and agricultural areas.
Short-eared owls are generally solitary but during the cold winter months, they may gather in communal roosts. They can be active at any time of the day but most hunting occurs at night. Short-eared owls tend to fly low over the ground in open fields and grasslands until swooping down upon their prey feet-first. Several owls may hunt over the same open area. In North America competition for food can be fierce with the Northern harrier, with which Short-eared owls share similar habitat and prey preferences. Both species even harass the other when prey is caught. Short-eared owls are usually silent, especially on the wintering grounds. Their common sounds are raspy 'waowk, waowk, waowk' or 'toot-toot-toot-toot-toot' and they also have a scratchy bark-like call; a loud 'eeee-yerp' can be heard on breeding grounds.
Short-eared owls are carnivores. Their diet consists mainly of rodents, especially voles, but they will eat other small mammals such as mice, ground squirrels, shrews, rats, bats, muskrats, and moles. They will also predate smaller birds and insects.
Short-eared owls are thought to be serially monogamous which means that their pair bonds last only one the breeding season. In the northern hemisphere, breeding occurs from March to June, peaking in April. During this time Short-eared owls may gather in flocks. With the start of the breeding season, the males make great spectacles of themselves in flight to attract females. The male swoops down over the nest flapping its wings in a courtship display. Pairs nests on the ground in the prairie, tundra, savanna, or meadow habitats. Nests are concealed by low vegetation and may be lightly lined by weeds, grass, or feathers. Females lay approximately 4 to 7 white eggs, but clutch size can reach up to 11 eggs in years when voles are abundant their preferred prey. The eggs are incubated mostly by the female for 21-37 days. Owlets fledge at a little over 4 weeks and become reproductively mature at one year of age.
Short-eared owls are not considered threatened but they are vulnerable to habitat loss due to the expansion of agriculture, grazing, reforestation, and urbanization. These birds are also often killed by collisions with vehicles, and by planes on airports and suffer from persecution, poisoning, and predation.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total Short-eared owl population size is around 3,000,000 individuals which equates to 2,000,000 mature individuals. The European population consists of 54,700-186,000 pairs, which equates to 109,000-372,000 mature individuals. Overall, currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are decreasing.
Short-eared owls are important predators of small mammals and birds and control their populations in the ecosystem they live in.
