Birdfinding.info ⇒ The widespread northern form of Short-eared Owl is uncommon overall, but often conspicuous when present and consistently gravitates to certain areas in winter, typically in low-lying marshy grassland and wetland complexes in river deltas and along lakeshores and coasts.
“Northern Short-eared Owl”
Asio flammeus flammeus
Circumpolar, breeding on arctic and temperate plains of the Northern Hemisphere. Winters in temperate grasslands, and locally south into the tropics.
Approximate distribution of the “Northern Short-eared Owl”. © Xeno-Canto 2023
Breeding. Breeds on tundra, prairies, steppes, and marshlands across Eurasia and North America, mostly at high latitudes, but also south locally into the southern temperate zone.
In Eurasia, it breeds from Iceland, Great Britain, and northern continental Europe east across Scandinavia and nearly throughout the Russian Federation to the Bering Sea, south locally to central Spain, Serbia, eastern Turkey, the Caucasus, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Heilongjiang, and Sakhalin.
“Northern Short-eared Owl”, A. f. flammeus, blending into its surroundings on its snowy, temperate wintering grounds. (Howe, Idaho; December 31, 2016.) © Darren Clark
In North America, it breeds essentially throughout Alaska and continental Canada east to Newfoundland, north into southern and central portions of the Arctic Archipelago, and south to southern California, the Great Basin, the central Great Plains, the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence Valley, and Nova Scotia.
Nonbreeding. Winters in southern portions of breeding range and significantly farther south into the tropics.
In Eurasia, it winters north to Scotand, southern Scandinavia, western Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Heilongjiang, and Hokkaido, and south to the Senegal, Ethiopia, Oman, southern India, Thailand, and southeastern China (to Zhejiang).
In North America, it winters from south-coastal Alaska and southern Canada south to northern Mexico and the Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida. Winters sparingly south to Baja California Sur, the Mexico City area, and southern Veracruz.
“Northern Short-eared Owl”, A. f. flammeus, blending into its surroundings on its tropical wintering grounds. (Banni Grassland, Kachchh, Gujarat, India; December 19, 2017.) © Savio Fonseca
Movements. Among the most migratory of owls, the only one that regularly migrates from the arctic to the tropics and the only one that regularly strays over the open ocean.
Somewhat regular vagrant to several remote island groups, including Bermuda, the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands, and the Northwest Chain of Hawaii—and presumably also to the main Hawaiian Islands where it would be indistinguishable from the resident “Hawaiian Short-eared Owl” (sandwichensis).
The putative subspecies ponapensis of Pohnpei in the Caroline Islands of Micronesia is often regarded as an established taxon, but that island appears too small to support a viable population so the Short-eared Owls there seem likely to be vagrant “Northerns” that arrived accidentally and were able to survive.
Winter vagrants have been recorded south to Guatemala, Nicaragua, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Johnston Atoll.
Identification
Distinctive: an open-country owl that often hunts on the wing, flying low over grasslands and marshes, with a meandering, harrier-like flight pattern that alternates between deep, floppy wingbeats and long glides. It also hunts while stationary, perched on top of a bush or fencepost, watching and waiting, then swooping down onto its prey. Largely diurnal, but also active at night and most active around dusk.
“Northern Short-eared Owl”, A. f. flammeus, a relatively pale individual with mostly warm-brown upperparts. (Etzikom, Alberta; July 13, 2016.) © Brian Hoffe
“Northern Short-eared Owl”, A. f. flammeus, with short ear-tufts on the crown raised. (Golf Dorval, Pointe-Claire, Quebec; February 23, 2019.) © Daniel Jauvin
Short-eared Owls are named for an inconspicuous feature: two short tufts on the forecrown that are sometimes raised but often held flat.
“Northern Short-eared Owl”, A. f. flammeus, a dark individual showing mostly blackish upperparts; and with short ear-tufts on the crown raised. (Little Rann of Kutch, Kachchh, Gujarat, India; October 29, 2017.) © Bhaarat Vyas
The plumage is mainly dark-brown and whitish. The upperparts are mostly dark-brown with pale spots; and the underparts are mostly whitish with dark-brown streaks.
The streaking on the underparts is dense and thick on the chest, becoming progressively sparser on the lower breast and belly.
“Northern Short-eared Owl”, A. f. flammeus, showing typical underparts pattern: heavy streaking on the chest that becomes progressively sparser on the belly. (North Grand Pré, Nova Scotia; January 20, 2022.) © Guy Stevens
Sometimes shows a distinct facial disk and sometimes not. Some individuals show a distinct contrasting white frame, some have a thin blackish frame, and some have no discernible frame.
“Northern Short-eared Owl”, A. f. flammeus, a buffy-brown individual that lacks a distinct facial disk. (Lillooet, British Columbia; October 1, 2008.) © Ian Routley
The eyes are vivid amber-yellow surrounded by black feathers.
“Northern Short-eared Owl”, A. f. flammeus, showing distinct white-framed facial disk. (Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Reserve, Juneau, Alaska; November 9, 2022.) © Nathan Kelley
In flight, the upperside of the wing appears mostly brown with a large buffy patch in the primaries.
“Northern Short-eared Owl”, A. f. flammeus, dorsal view in flight, showing mostly brownish upperwings with buffy windows in the primaries. (Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area, Michigan; January 1, 2017.) © Darlene Friedman
“Northern Short-eared Owl”, A. f. flammeus, ventral view in flight, showing mostly pale underwings with dark-brown crescents on the primaries. (Bear Run Mine, Sullivan County, Indiana; January 2, 2023.) © Ryan Sanderson
The underside of the wing is mostly pale with a prominent black crescent at the base of the primaries. Typically shows one or two additional dark crescents near the tips of the primaries.
Notes
Monotypic form, one of three or four potentially distinct forms of Short-eared Owl.
More Images of the “Northern Short-eared Owl”
“Northern Short-eared Owl”, A. f. flammeus, an exceptionally dark brown and buffy individual. (Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois; November 12, 2022.) © Matt Zuro
“Northern Short-eared Owl”, A. f. flammeus, ventral view in flight, showing mostly pale underwings with dark-brown crescents on the primaries. (Kyle, Saskatchewan; March 9, 2017.) © Nick Saunders
“Northern Short-eared Owl”, A. f. flammeus. (Avon, New York; January 7, 2018.) © Josh Ketry
References
Alderfer, J., and J.L. Dunn. 2021. National Geographic Complete Birds of North America (Third Edition). National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.
BirdLife International. 2021. Asio flammeus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T22689531A202226582. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22689531A202226582.en. (Accessed June 11, 2023.)
Brazil, M. 2009. Birds of East Asia. Princeton University Press.
eBird. 2023. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, N.Y. http://www.ebird.org. (Accessed June 11, 2023.)
Garcia-del-Rey, E. 2011. Field Guide to the Birds of Macaronesia: Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands, Cape Verde. Lynx Editions, Barcelona.
Howell, S.N.G., and S. Webb. 1995. A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. Oxford University Press.
iNaturalist. 2023. https://www.inaturalist.org/. (Accessed June 11, 2023.)
König, C., and F. Weick. 2008. Owls of the World (Second Edition). Yale University Press.
Mikkola, H. 2017. Owls of the World: A Photographic Guide: Second Edition. Firefly Books, London.
Mullarney, K., L. Svensson, D. Zetterström, and P.J. Grant. 1999. Birds of Europe. Princeton University Press.
Pratt, H.D., P.L. Bruner, and D.G. Berrett. 1987. A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific. Princeton University Press.
Pyle, R.L., and P. Pyle. 2017. The Birds of the Hawaiian Islands: Occurrence, History, Distribution, and Status. Version 2 (January 1, 2017). http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/birds/rlp-monograph/. B.P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Redman, R., T. Stevenson, T., and J. Fanshawe. 2009. Birds of the Horn of Africa: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, and Socotra. Princeton University Press.
Salt, W.R., and J.R. Salt. 1976. The Birds of Alberta. Hurtig Publishers, Edmonton, Alberta.
Sibley, D.A. 2014. The Sibley Guide to Birds (Second Edition). Alfred A. Knopf. New York.
Xeno-Canto. 2023. Short-eared Owl – Asio flammeus. https://xeno-canto.org/species/Asio-flammeus. (Accessed June 11, 2023.)