THE SHORT-EARED OWL
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Short-Eared
Owls are unusual in their preference for open country
habitat, notably moorland, heathland, marshes and sand
dunes. Here they build their own nests, either ground
scrapes in tall vegetation, or more substantial structures
in wet areas. When seen, they will sit on the ground in a
much less upright posture than other owls.
Despite being a specialist feeder on small mammals -
particularly voles - the Short-Eared Owl is very adaptable
and can feed on a wide variety of other species during
temporary slumps in the vole population: diet can include
mice, rats, hedgehogs, birds up to thrush size and
amphibians. Its normal hunting method consists of
quartering the ground at a height of less than 3 metres,
alternating between flapping its wings and gliding, and
occasionally hovering whilst searching for its prey.
The plumage of the Short-Eared Owl is buff with dark brown
blotches, with a tail boldly marked by four bars. Their
eyes are yellow surrounded with black patches that give it
the characteristic glaring stare. The very small &
often unseen ear tufts from which the Short-Eared Owl gets
its name have nothing to do with hearing but are used to
communicate mood to would-be aggressors.
The male’s song, which is often given in flight, is a soft,
deep “boo-boo-boo-boo”; you may also hear an alarm call
which is an almost Jackdaw-like - “chef-chef-chef”. The
Short Eared Owl population is extremely mobile and this –
combined with its migratory habits – makes any estimation
of their numbers very difficult, so much so that the Winter
Atlas of 1986 put the midwinter population anywhere between
5,000 and 50,000 individuals! However in recent times the
number of breeding pairs is thought to have fallen and this
decline has placed it on the British Bird Conservation
Amber List.