Short-eared Owl Photo Gallery
Adult (Northern)
Medium-sized owl with a rounded head and tiny ear tufts that are difficult to see. Heavily streaked overall with dark eye patches and whitish face.
© Tim Lenz / Macaulay LibraryNevada, January 01, 2013Adult (Northern)
In flight look for barred wing tips. Hunts during daylight, flying low over short vegetation with a mothlike quality.
© Lizabeth Southworth / Macaulay LibraryHawaii, April 27, 2019Adult
Perches in the open and flies low over open areas with deep and somewhat mothlike wingbeats. This video has no audio.
© Larry Arbanas / Macaulay LibraryAlaska, June 16, 2007Not all videos have soundImmature (Northern)
Immature is similar to adult, but head and upperparts are darker.
© Brad Imhoff / Macaulay LibraryUtah, July 19, 2017Adult (Hawaiian)
Widespread owl with variation in plumage color. Heavily streaked and sometimes spotted looking overall with dark eye patches and a whitish face.
© Eric Gustafson / Macaulay LibraryHawaii, January 24, 2020Adult (South American)
The "South American" subspecies group is widespread in southern South America, with scattered populations in the northern half of the continent.
© Marie O'Neill / Macaulay LibraryPichincha, October 21, 2019Adult (South American)
An open-country species that is active both day and night, making it more conspicuous than most owl species.
© Claudio Véliz @alaschile / Macaulay LibraryLos Ríos, July 12, 2020Adult (Galapagos)
This species has colonized two of the world's most remote island archipelagos—the Galapagos and the Hawaiian Islands.
© Brad Dawson / Macaulay LibraryGalápagos, January 10, 2015Adult (Antillean)
The "Antillean" subspecies group is typically restricted to Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola, but individuals occasionally stray to southern Florida.
© Geoff Malosh / Macaulay LibraryFlorida, April 23, 2018Adult (Northern)
Ear tufts are small and difficult to see. Heavily streaked overall with black eye patches, yellow eyes, and a whitish face.
© Pavel Štěpánek / Macaulay LibraryJihomoravský kraj, April 19, 2019