A member of the family Strigidae (“typical owls”), the genus Asio is known as the “eared owls”. This species is one of the most globally widespread species of owl, absent only from Antarctica and Australia. The ear tufts are clumps of feathers and may or may not be visible depending on the owl’s ‘mood’. Can be found in open areas, such as fields, meadows, and edges of marshes and rivers. They nest on the ground and used to historically nest here. Is a predator that mostly hunts rodents, particularly voles and migrates over a vast area .
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At rest
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Flying
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Open field habitat
This is a species at risk. To find its current at-risk designation and listing info, visit the BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer. For direction on finding additional species recovery information, visit the Species and Ecological Communities Profiles Overview webpage.
Resources
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BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer
Provincial site providing current information for BC’s plants, animals and...
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Owls of BC’s South Coast
Identification guide on the owls of BC's South Coast (2019).
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Short-eared Owl Species Profile
SCCP’s Species Profile of the Short-eared Owl (2016)
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Short-eared Owl and Townsend’s Vole Dynamics in Grassland Set-asides
Report on Short-eared Owl and Townsend’s Vole Dynamics in Grassland...
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