short-eared owl

[shawrt-eerd]

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of short-eared owl¹

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.

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One birdwatcher, who spotted a short-eared owl above moorland in the Peak District only to see it shot out of the sky, agreed to speak to the BBC anonymously as he feared reprisals for reporting the killing to the police.

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

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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.

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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.

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