Features: The Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) lives in open areas such as grasslands, marshes and tundra where it hunts for small mammals, especially voles. Short-eared Owls nest on the ground and the female sits tight on the eggs while the male brings food to her over the four week incubation period. Short-eared Owls have relatively long wings and are often seen hunting over fields with a bouncy, butterfly-like flight. In most winters, Short-ears will congregate in southern Ontario at places such as Wolfe and Amherst Islands near Kingston.

Status: Special Concern Provincially and Nationally

Range: The Short-eared Owl has a world-wide distribution, and in North America its range extends from the tundra south to central United States. In Ontario, it lives in scattered locations throughout the province, particularly along the James Bay and Hudson Bay coastlines. Range Maps

Threats: The Short-eared Owl was probably more common and widespread in southern Ontario when there were larger areas of prairie and savannah, their preferred habitat. The creation of new grasslands with the clearing of forests for farmland may have initially benefitted the species, but as agricultural methods became more intensive, these areas became unsuitable for the species. Current threats include loss of marshes.

Protection: The Short-eared Owl is protected under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.

Text Sources: Cadman 1994

Last Modified Date: February 2005