Short-eared Owl
(Asio flammeus)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Biology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
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| IUCN Red List | LC - Least Concern |
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| NatureServe | N5B, N5N - Secure Breeding and Nonbreeding S3B - Vulnerable Breeding |
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| Minnesota | Special Concern Species in Greatest Conservation Need |
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Description |
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Short-eared Owl is a medium-sized owl with short, inconspicuous ear tufts, black eye sockets, and yellow eyes. The underside of the wing has a dark “wrist” crescent and black wing tips. It hunts during the day, flying low over grasslands. The wingbeats are long and slow. |
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Size |
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13″ to 17″in length 36″ to 48″ wingspan |
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Voice |
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Similar Species |
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Habitat |
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Large open areas, grasslands, meadows, marshes, bogs, pastures, airports |
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Biology |
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Migration |
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Early March to late April and late September to December |
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Nesting |
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Food |
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Distribution |
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Occurrence |
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Uncommon to rare migrant, regular nester |
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Maps |
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The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union All Seasons Species Occurrence Map |
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Taxonomy |
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| Class | Aves (birds) | ||
Order |
Strigiformes (owls) | ||
Family |
Strigidae (typical owls) | ||
Subfamily |
Asioninae | ||
Genus |
Asio (eared owls) | ||
Subordinate Taxa |
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Cuban Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus cubensis) (not universally recognized) Galapagos Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus galapagoensis) Hawaiian Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus sandwichensis) Hispaniolan Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus domingensis) Northern Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus flammeus) Pohnpei Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus ponapensis) Porto Rican Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus portoricensis) Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus bogotensis) Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus pallidicaudus) Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus sanfordi) Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus suinda) |
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Synonyms |
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Strix flammea |
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Visitor Photos |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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| Slideshows | ||
| Short-eared Owl Allen Chartier |
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| Short-eared Owl Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren |
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| "Northern" Short-eared Owl JMC Nature Photos |
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| Visitor Videos | |||
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| Other Videos | |||
| An Introduction to the Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) - by Wild Owl WildOwlTV |
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About
Published on Jul 8, 2012 This short film by owl conservationist Ian McGuire takes a brief look at the nomadic owl that is active during the day - the short-eared owl. For more information on British owls please visit the Wild Owl website at www.wildowl.co.uk |
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| Separating Short-eared and Long-eared Owls BTOvideo |
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About
Uploaded on Dec 22, 2011 As difficult species go, the Long and Short-eared Owl pairing are amongst the most challenging to identify, especially in flight. The latest identification video from the BTO offers tips on how to separate both, in flight, perched and by calls. |
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| Short-eared Owl -Asio flammeus- コミミズク.mpg MDFIDF |
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About
Uploaded on Mar 17, 2010 Asio flammeus, the Short-eared Owl, is a medium-sized owl averaging 3443 cm (13 to 17 inches) in length and weighing 206475 grams (11 to 13 ounces). It has large eyes, big head, 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 (Alsop 2001). Wingspans range from 85 to 103 cm (38 to 44 inches). Females are slightly larger than males. The yellow-orange eyes of A. flammeus are exaggerated by black rings encircling each eye, and large, whitish disks of plumage surrounding the eyes like a mask. The Short-eared Owl occurs on all continents except Antarctica and Australia; thus it has one of the largest distributions of any bird. A. flammeus breeds in Europe, Asia, North and South America, the Caribbean, Hawaii and the Galápagos Islands. It is partially migratory, moving south in winter from the northern parts of its range. |
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| Gufo di Palude (Asio Flammeus) Matteonibo |
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About
Uploaded on Feb 23, 2010 |
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| An Evening with a Short Eared Owl rohan kamath |
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About
Published on Jan 26, 2015 An evening with a Short Eared Owl at Stanwood, Washington. |
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Visitor Sightings |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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