Short-Eared Owl
scientific name
Asio flammeus
size/weight/height
Length: 13 - 17"
Weight: males 11 oz (avg.) " females 13.3 oz (avg.)
Wingspread: 38-44"
adaptations/coloration
Color: tawny to buff on upper parts including head & chest " tawny brown to buff patches on upper sides of wing (show in flight) " dark patches on undersides of bend in wings
Ear Tufts: small " difficult to see
Voice: "eeee-yerp" during territorial defense " silent while migrating " "wak wak wak" dog like barking & "toot-toot-toot-toot-toot" while nesting
behavior
ground dwelling
Feeding: circles & glides close to ground " sometimes lands on ground to watch for rodents
Hunting: often drops straight down with wings held up primarily afternoon hunter " may be active day (especially cloudy days) or night "
Roosts: on ground often in large colonies
reproduction/lifespan
Lifespan: up to 12 yrs in captivity
Courtship: spectacular flight
Nest: on ground in small colonies " nest in slight depression " sparsely lined
Eggs: 4 - 7 " laid March - June
Incubation: ~21 days
Young: fly at 31 - 36 days " stay near nest ~42 days
diet
Wild: primarily mice " also shrews, cotton rats, rabbits, pocket gophers, bats, insects, small birds & lemmings
Zoo: mice
habitat/range
grasslands " tundra " marshes " dunes " every continent except Australia
status
CITES App II " used to be more common " decrease in population due to habitat loss & increasing number of people
note
Our short-eared owls, which came from Alaska Fish & Wildlife, are non-releasable
oregon zoo exhibit