There are short-eared owls in Yorkshire, some resident and others Autumn/Winter visitors from Scandinavia.
Find out about these charismatic birds here.
Short-eared owls fall within the family Strigidae (true owls) and the genus Asio (eared owls).
The short-eared owl's Latin name is Asio flammeus.
Collins Bird Guide shows the short-eared owl present all year round in Britain. It's mainly in the north of England and the south of Scotland that it can be found throughout the year. (Even then, individual owls can be nomadic, looking for the best places to find prey).
The British population is estimated at 610-2,140 pairs.
The short-eared owl also breeds further north, in the north of Scotland and in Scandinavia, but abandons these areas in Winter.
The south of England and parts of southern Europe are shown as the short-eared owl's Winter range.
The RSPB says that this owl likes include uplands, marine and inter-tidal areas, farmland, wetland and grassland. I have seen them in the uplands of the Yorkshire Dales.
Short-eared owls are 33-40cm long, with long wings - a span of 95-105cm.
The 'ears' are actually tufts made up of feathers, and they are rarely seen - only when a bird is alert or alarmed.
The birds are mottled brown, with pale under-wings and breasts, and yellow eyes.
Short-eared owls are most active at night, but also hunt at dawn and dusk.
The BTO says that 'during the Summer months they can sometimes to be seen actively hunting during daylight hours'. This is usually when they have successfully hatched young and are feeding their chicks.
You can see them flapping and gliding, looking for prey. In between hunting flights, they perch on the ground or on fence posts and shake out and preen their feathers.
These owls generally roost on the ground. Their nests are a scrape on the ground.
Some pairs start breeding in late March, and others not until April or May. Four to seven eggs are laid, and they are incubated for 27 days. Fledging is 26 to 32 days after the eggs hatch.
The young owls then disperse, initially within their parents' territory.
'Breeding numbers fluctuate markedly in response to prey availability, and their remarkable nomadism is becoming apparent through tracking studies' - BTO.
From ringing records, it seems that the oldest short-eared owl was six and a half years old.
Short-eared owls are specialist predators of small mammals, particularly voles. They quarter habitat, looking and listening for signs of prey, then hover briefly before dropping down.
This video features an adult and a juvenile in the Yorkshire Dales in June 2024:
This video shows a young short-eared owl on a fence post in the Yorkshire Dales in June 2024:
