Short-eared Owl

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Sunday July 20th, 2008

Short-eared Owl
Asio flammeus

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As of February 2005.
Description	Medium sized owl with long wings, and very small (often concealed) ear tufts. Generally dusky brown with dark mottling above, paler below with dark streaks. Large greyish (grayish) facial disk with black around the smallish yellow eyes.
Size	33-41cm, 200-500g
Range	North America from Alaska down to C USA, wintering further south, S South America, NW South America; Eurasia from NW Europe to E Siberia and NE China and Sakhalin, wintering in N Africa, Middle East, Pakistan and S China; also Caribbean, Falkland, Galapagos, and Hawaiian Islands.
Habitat	Open habitat including pastures, moors, tundra downland etc normally with scattered trees or bushes.
Food	Mainly small mammals especially voles and lemmings but also birds up to pigeon size and insects.
Breeding	March-June in N hemisphere, begins September in S. 7-10 eggs, laid in depression on ground, normally concealed amongst vegetation. The female lines the nest with vegetation and down, one of only two owl species that bring material to the nest site. The eggs are incubated for 24-28 days. The young leave the nest as young as 2 weeks of age and conceal themselves in surrounding vegetation and are not independent for a further 5 weeks.
Call	A rapid series of deep hoots rising then falling in pitch.
Status	Not globally threatened, although populations in C Europe and parts of USA have declined dramatically, although increasing in other areas such as Hispaniola and Cuba.
Comments	Like the Long-eared Owl the taxonomy of the species requires further study particularly of some island populations.
Races	The race galapagoensis mace prove to be a distinct species. The race domingensis (including portoricensis) has formerly been considered a separate species.
A.f.flammeus	North America, Europe, Asia and NW Africa
A.f.bogotensis	NW South America from Colombia and Venezuela to Surinam and from Ecuador south to Peru
A.f.suinda	S Peru, C Chile, Bolivia and Brazil south to Tierra del Fuego
A.f.sandfordi	Falkland Is
A.f.sandwichensis	Hawaii
A.f.ponapensis	Ponape in Caroline Is, S Pacific
A.f.domingensis	Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Cuba (includes portoricensis)
A.f.galapagoensis	Galapagos Is

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