short-eared owl

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short-eared owl

bird

Also known as: Asio flammeus

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

short-eared owl, (Asio flammeus), stocky bird of prey of the family Strigidae (order Strigiformes), about 40 cm (about 1.3 feet) long with a prominent facial disk. Among the most widely distributed of owls, it is circumpolar from the Arctic to the North Temperate Zone, occurs in Hawaii and much of South America, and migrates far south. Short erectile tufts (ear tufts) on the front of the head are rudimentary and inconspicuous. The bird is brown above with white spots, pale below with breast streaks.

Short-eared owls prefer open country and are often seen abroad in the daytime. They eat mice, birds, insects, and frogs and nest on the ground, often in colonies.