(Asio flammeus)
Identification Tips:
Length: 13 inches Wingspan: 41 inches
Sexes similar
Medium-sized owl
Perhaps the most aerial owl, the Short-eared courses low over fields and marshes at dawn and dusk with floppy, moth-like wingbeats
Yellow eyes and dark bill
Upperparts mottled brown and white, with darker bars on flight feathers
Breast tawny with darker streaks fading to a white belly with diffuse darker streaking
Face relatively dark and unpatterned
In flight, pale underwings with prominent black wrist marks are obvious
Hunting & Food: Short-eared Owls hunt mainly at night and during the morning and late afternoon. They fly over open areas, a few feet above ground, and pounce when prey is located. In dense vegetation they will hover over prey, often for extended periods when facing into the wind, before pouncing. They occasionally hunt from a perch or while standing on the ground. Short-eared Owls eat mainly small mammals, but sometimes take birds.