Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl Owl
Asio flammeus

Habitat:	Open grasslands, farmlands

Range:	Found world-wide. In North America can be found from Alaska through Canada to the central parts of the United States, winter even further south.

Voice:	Fast deep hoots rising and falling in pitch, barking noises, including wing clapping while courting.

Identification:	Length: 13 - 17 inches Wingspan: 38 - 44 inches Weight: 11 - 14 ounces A medium sized owl with long wings and very small ear tufts. It has small yellow eyes surrounded by black and a grayish facial disk. The belly is a buff color with heavy brown streaks, while the back is mottled brown and white. The underwings are light with a very dark "wrist" patch.

Diet:		Small mammals, especially voles and lemmings, but occasionally takes birds and insects.

Nest:	Will begin nesting in late February to March. This bird nests on the ground by digging a scrape in the ground and lining it with grasses and downy feathers. Usually lays between 3 and 6 eggs, although when food is plentiful it may lay as many as 16 eggs. The female incubates the eggs for 24 - 29 days. The young may leave the nest after only 2 weeks even though they can't fly. They will become independent after 50 days.

Comments:	An exciting owl to watch fly as it passes over fields with floppy moth-like wingbeats. It hovers over prey and drops down on them. Often seen hunting over fields at dawn and dusk. If a predator gets too close to its nest, this owl will act crippled to lure the predator away from the nest, just like the more common Killdeer's behavior.