Short-eared+owl

Scientific Name

 * Asio flammeus

Description:

 * The Short-eared Owl is a **medium-sized** with brown feathers and black streaks on the chest, stomach, and back.
 * The male short-eared owls tend to have light colored feathers than females. This coloring of their feathers acts as a camouflage; however when this fails they will feign death to escape predators.
 * The average wingspan of a short-eared owl is 41 inches for males and 42 inches for females.
 * The average size of the owl is 13-17 inches long.

Habitat:

 * Short-eared Owls typically inhabit grasslands, farming fields, salt marshes, and mountain meadows.
 * They typically conceal their nests with brush, and grass. However they also nest in trees in the winter months.

Breeding:

 * The male short-eared owl will perform aerial displays and lock talons in mid-air as well as fight in mid-air.
 * Nesting is tyically situated on the shelter of a grass mound and made by the female of grass stems, herb stalks, etc.
 * The average amount of eggs laid by the short-eared owl can be anywhere from 4-14 eggs with large amounts being laid in years of an abundance of food.

Niche:

 * Short-eared Owls are secondary consumers(**Carnivores**), their diet consists mainly of small mammals, and birds. Meadow Voles are their primary prey.

Status

 * Threatened

Why is the species on the list?

 * The Short-eared Owl status is due to its breeding habitat allowing predators to steal its eggs.
 * Sometimes a short-eared owl will nest on airport runways causing them to be killed by collision with any aircraft taking off or landing.
 * Owl/Vehicle collisions is responsible for a large amount of deaths.[[image:owl2.jpg width="210" height="134"]]

Recovery Plan?:

 * The goverment has created conservation habitats for the short-eared owl.
 * Short-eared Owl numbers are being monitored by the goverment.

External Links:

 * http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Asio&species=flammeus
 * http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Short-eared_Owl/id
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Derek Frantz