short-eared owl

American  

[shawrt-eerd] / ˈʃɔrtˌɪərd /

noun

1. a streaked, buffy brown, cosmopolitan owl, Asio flammeus, having very short tufts of feathers on each side of the head.

---

Etymology

Origin of short-eared owl

An Americanism dating back to 1805–15

Example Sentences

Aside from curlew, they pose a threat to a number of native species including the Orkney vole, short-eared owl and hen harrier.

From BBC

Photographer’s description: “Short-eared owl, one among six, hunting along the road. Nikon D7100, f2.8, 200 mm, 1/800 sec.”

From Seattle Times

At Blakeney Point in Norfolk, little terns - one species of these small seabirds - abandoned their nests, scared off by the presence of a short-eared owl and common gulls.

From BBC

In fall and winter, those fields are home to wee mammals such as voles and therefore also birds of prey, the most charismatic of which is the short-eared owl.

From Seattle Times

Another northern species, the short-eared owl, has been showing up in force this year.

From Seattle Times