Appearance: Short-eared owls are medium-sized owls at about 14-17″ long. They’re brown spotted birds with tan, white, and ivory on the upper parts. The face is lighter and the eyes are yellow surrounded by black. As you would expect, their ears are so short they appear to be missing. Females are the same.
Diet: Small mammals such as shrews, moles, rabbits, gophers, bats, and rodents in which they first decapitate and then swallow the prey whole.
Feeder food: Short-eared owls do not visit feeders.
Habitat: Open grassland areas as they prefer to perch on the ground or low in trees.
Nesting: Short-eared owls nest on the ground in the grass with surrounding vegetation to hide it. They have 1-2 broods/season and 1-11 eggs/brood that are creamy white in color. Incubation lasts about 21-37 days and they fledge the nest after about 12-18 days.
Range Map
