Short-eared Owl Identification Guide

Key Field Marks

• Size & shape: A medium-sized owl, about 34–43 cm, with a round head, very short ear tufts that are usually invisible, and long, rounded wings.
• Plumage: Buffy-brown overall with heavy dark streaking, especially concentrated on the upper breast, becoming sparser on the pale belly.
• Face: Pale facial disk framed in dark, with piercing yellow eyes set in black patches, giving an intense, almost mascara-like look.
• In flight: Long wings show a bold buffy patch at the base of the primaries above and below, a dark carpal (wrist) patch on the underwing, and a dark-tipped trailing edge; flight is buoyant, floppy, and irregular, often likened to a giant moth or bat.
• Behavior: Frequently active by day, especially at dawn and dusk, hunting low over open ground with slow wingbeats interspersed with glides and occasional hovering.

Separating It From Similar Species

• Long-eared Owl: Strictly nocturnal and roosts hidden in dense trees rather than hunting in the open by day; shows long, obvious ear tufts when perched and orange (not pale yellow-buff) facial disk, with more richly patterned underparts including barring on the belly.
• Northern Harrier: Often seen hunting over the same open fields with a similarly buoyant, low flight, but is a hawk with a slim body, long tail, white uppertail covert patch ("white rump"), and holds its wings in a shallow V (dihedral) rather than the owl's floppier wingbeat.
• Barn Owl: Pale, heart-shaped white face and buffy-gold upperparts without heavy streaking; flight is more silent and direct, typically at night.

Where & When to See It

• Habitat: Open grasslands, prairies, tundra, coastal marshes, and agricultural fields; nests on the ground in dense grass or low vegetation, unusual among owls.
• Range: One of the most widespread owl species in the world, breeding across much of North America, Europe, and Asia; northern populations are migratory, while some southern populations are resident.
• Season: Best observed at dawn and dusk year-round in resident areas; winter can bring concentrations ("winter roosts") of many individuals in productive grassland or marsh habitat, especially in years of high vole abundance.

Voice

• Generally quiet outside the breeding season; on territory, gives a deep, hollow hooting boo-boo-boo series, and both sexes give a barking or raspy alarm call near the nest.