| Short-eared Owl | |
| |
| Names | |
| Common Name: | Short-eared Owl |
| Scientific Name: | Asio flammeus |
| Appearance | |
| Females are slightly larger than males. The yellow-orange eyes of A. flammeus are exaggerated by black rings encircling each eye, giving the appearance of them wearing Mascara, and large, whitish disks of plumage surrounding the eyes like a mask. | |
| Behavior | |
| Sexual maturity is attained at one year. Breeding season in the northern hemisphere lasts from March to June, peaking in April. During this time these owls may gather in flocks. During breeding season, the males make great spectacles of themselves in flight to attract females. The male swoops down over the nest flapping its wings in a courtship display (Ehrlich 1988). These owls are generally monogamous. | |
Information[]
Description[]
The Short-eared Owl is a medium-sized Owl. The plumage is buffy brown with dark streaks on the chest, belly, and back. Males tend to be lighter in colour than females. This colouring provides good camouflage, but if this fails, a Short-eared Owl will feign death to avoid detection. The wings and tail are strongly barred. The yellow eyes are circled with black and set in whitish or buffy-white facial disks, which are suffused with a ring of brown. The bill is black. The head appears round without ear tufts, but at very close range small ear tufts are visible. In flight, the dark "wrist" on the underwing is the key field mark. Size: Length 33-43cm (13-17"). Wingspan females 107cm (42"), males 105cm (41") average. Weight 206-475g (7-17oz). Females are slightly larger and heavier than Males.
Short-eared Owls are generally quiet, owing to their diurnal nature and the wide open habitats where visual displays would are more effective than in forests. The male's territorial song is a pulsing "voo-hoo-hoo", resembling an old steam engine. This song is given mainly during flight displays and the female responds with a barking "kee-ow". Both sexes give hoarse cheeaw calls when disturbed in their nesting territory. When excited near the nest, both sexes squawk, bark, hiss and squeal.
Generally nocturnal, but often become active 30-60 minutes before sunset; some owls may be active during the day (to a much lesser extent) during the breeding season. Seasonal changes in activity a response to variations in vole population size and daylength. Flies with deep, slow, moth-like rowing wingbeats, and glides on stretched wings over open landscapes. Outside breeding season, they may gather in communal roosts. A largely nomadic vole-specialist.
Ecology[]
Short-eared Owls hunt mainly at night and during the morning and late afternoon. They fly over open areas, a few feet above ground, and pounce when prey is located. In dense vegetation they will hover over prey, often for extended periods when facing into the wind, before pouncing. They occasionally hunt from a perch or while standing on the ground. Short-eared Owls eat mainly small mammals, but sometimes take birds. Meadow voles (Microtus species) are the primary prey. Deer mice, shrews, ground squirrels, pocket gophers, pocket mice, moles, rats, bats, rabbits, and muskrats are also taken. Birds probably are more important when Short-eared Owls hunt in marshes and along coastal areas, where they can target shorebirds, terns, and small gulls and seabirds. In inland habitats they take mainly Horned Larks, meadowlarks, blackbirds, and pipits. A few insects such as roaches, grasshoppers, beetles, katydids, and caterpillars are also taken. Unlike most Owls, prey is normally carried in its talons. Short-eared Owls and Northern Harriers often harass each other when hunting the same field, and harriers often steal food from the Owl.
Wild Short-eared Owls have reached almost 13 years of age. Natural enemies include many diurnal raptors such as the Bald Eagle, Northern Goshawk, Gyrfalcon, Red-tailed Hawk, and Snowy Owl. Because they nest on the ground, they are vulnerable to mammalian predators such as skunks, dogs, foxes, and coyotes, while Jaegers, gulls, ravens, and crows steal eggs and small chicks. Collisions with vehicles account for a large number of deaths. Also, They are attracted to the wide open fields of airports and so many are killed by collisions with aircraft.
Short-eared Owls occur widely in the Old World, in Iceland, the Hawaiian Islands, Galapagos Islands, and North and South America.
Short-eared Owls inhabit wide open spaces such as grasslands, prairie, agricultural fields, salt marshes, estuaries, mountain meadows, and alpine and Arctic tundra. Breeding habitat must have sufficient ground cover to conceal nests and nearby sources of small mammals for food. Communal roosts occur in old growth fields, along thick hedgerows, in overgrown rubble in abandoned fields, or in clumps of dense conifers. These Owls tend to roost in trees only when snow covers the ground. During migration, Short-eared Owls will move through high mountain passes, flying at great heights.
Breeding[]
Courtship and territorial behaviour is spectacular for an Owl. Males perform aerial displays by rising quickly with rhythmic and exaggerated wing beats, hovering, gliding down, and rising again, often 200 to 400 meters (650 to 1,300 feet) above ground. Wing claps, in bursts of 2 to 6 per second, are often made during this flight and some singing occurs. The flight can be ended with a spectacular descent where the male hold his wings aloft and shimmies rapidly to the ground. Two birds may engage in flight, locking talons, and fighting briefly. Often, a display where one bird flashes its light underwing towards another is used during territorial and courtship flights. The Short-eared Owl nests on the ground, unlike most other Owls. Nests are usually situated in the shelter of a grass mound, under a grass tuft, or among herbaceous ground cover. Nests are loosely constructed by the female, who scrapes a spot on the ground and then lines the scrape with grass stems, herb stalks, and feathers plucked from her breast. Clutch sizes range from 4 to 14 eggs (average 5 to 7), with large clutches laid during years of high food abundance. Clutch size increases from south to north. Eggs are laid every 1 to 2 days and incubation commences with the first. Incubation is done largely by the female, with the male bringing food to the nest and occasionally taking a turn incubating. Young grow very rapidly after hatching, and begin to wander from the nest as soon as 12 days, an adaptation for a ground-nesting species to reduce the amount of time they are vulnerable to predation. Young fledge at about 4 weeks. The Short-eared Owl routinely lays replacement clutches, because of high predation rates. In southern areas, it may raise 2 broods in 1 year. Because reproductive success is relatively poor, the ability to lay large clutches helps populations recover after periodic declines. The Short-eared Owl is highly migratory, and nomadic, except in southern parts of its range. Movements of up to 2,000 km (1,200 miles) have been documented. This Owl has relatively small nesting territories and home ranges, varying from 15 to 200 hectares (35 to 500 acres), and may nest in loose colonies in excellent habitat. Because of its nomadic tendencies, mate and site fidelity are very low. Breeders tend to wander until they find areas with high densities of prey before settling to breed. In winter, large numbers of Owls will occur in areas with lots of food. Communal winter roosts of up to 200 birds are known, with these birds ranging over nearby areas to hunt. Resident Owls will defend winter foraging territories of about 6 hectares (15 acres), before expanding the territory size during the breeding season.
Significant Short-Eared owls[]
History[]
The Journey[]
Upon the Band arriving at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree (Books), they're led around by an owl called Matron who tells them to stay out of the way since they're expecting wounded owls. Another Short-eared Owl flies by, asking for moss and down. Otulissa arrives, so Matron asks her to show the Band around.
Not long after, Matron is trying to comfort Primrose since she lost her nest. As Soren comforts Primrose, Matron thinks that he's starting to learn the true meaning of a noble deed.
Along with Soren, Otulissa, and Martin, Ruby is double chawed in colliering and weather interpretation, which she considers herself very lucky. She's excited to start flying, but Otulissa says that given her family bacground, Ruby ought to be in tracking. Ruby however, is eager to try something new, such as flying through forest fires and hurricanes, saying she found living in a grassland boring.
Soren thinks to himself about how Ruby was brought to the Tree shortly after the Band. Something scared her out of her nest, and she had been found in a tree saying, "They'll never find me here", but never said who they were.
On the day for weather chaw, Ruby asks Ezylryb and Poot what happens if you get caught in the rim of the eye of a hurricane. They bluntly answer that you die. Later she shows off her flying abilities by flying upside down.
Sometime after the lesson, Soren goes to the library to help Ruby study, as she had terrible handwriting and difficulty with large words.
Later still, the weather chaw was awoken in the middle of the day to observe a forest fire. Ruby and Martin were both nervous. They also wondered why Ezylryb always used the word "hair".
Heading into the forest fire, Ruby manages to expertly capture coals.
Later, after what would be known as The Great Downing, Matron prepared beds for the displaced Tytos.
The Rescue[]
Ruby and the rest of the weather chaw fly through a tropical storm. She flies off for reconnaisance, and comes back with word from some gulls that a hurricane is blowing in. Having to stay in the Spirit Woods until the storm dies down, she snaps at the younger owls to keep quiet, and then flies off with Soren to look for food. She and Otulissa then keep the first watch.
Ruby and Martin arrive to help the rest of the Chaw of Chaws fight back against the Pure Ones. She inadvertently kills a distracted Sooty Owl after he flies into her burning branch. She then joins Twilight in fighting Metal Beak.
The Siege[]
Ruby and the rest of the Chaw of Chaws are tasked with infiltrating St. Aggie's. While she has trouble memorizing stories from the Northern Kingdoms, she perfectly remembers The Fire Cycle.
At St. Aggie's, Ruby is assigned as a broody. She informs Soren and Martin that the Pure One slipgizzles are sneaking flecks into the Barn Owl nests, and that Finny is an egg eater.
Ruby was placed into the Strix Struma Strikers along with Otulissa.
The Shattering[]
Ruby flies into the library to tell everyone that Primrose is missing.
Ruby warned Gylfie and Digger about the Pure Ones and led them back to the rest of the chaw.
Ruby arms herself with a burning branch and attacks the Pure Ones.
The Burning[]
Coming soon!
The Outcast[]
Coming soon!
To Be a King[]
Coming soon!
The Golden Tree[]
Coming soon!
The River of Wind[]
Coming soon!
Exile[]
Coming soon!
The War of the Ember[]
Coming soon!
The Rise of a Legend[]
Coming soon!
Trivia[]
- Their scientific name flammeus means "the color of flames". This is especially appropriate for Ruby, as her feathers being ruddy is often mentioned.
Gallery[]
