All birds/Strigidae/Short-eared Owl
AI reconstruction of Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)AI

AI reconstruction created with Nano Banana 2 · 1K, grounded in the profile’s documented taxonomy, habitat, natural-history sources, and an open-license visual reference when available. It is an interpretive image, not documentary evidence. Image policy

PRB-0225Strigiformes

Short-eared Owl

Múcaro Real

Asio flammeus

ResidentIUCN LC · Least Concern

The short-eared owl (Asio flammeus) is a widespread grassland species in the family Strigidae. Owls belonging to genus Asio are known as the eared owls, as they have tufts of feathers resembling mammalian ears. These "ear" tufts may or may not be visible. The short-eared owl will display its tufts when in a defensive pose, although its very short tufts are usually not visible. The short-eared owl is found in open country and grasslands.

FamilyStrigidaeOwls
Puerto Rico occurrenceResidentAvibase inferred core 380
Primary habitatGrassland; wetlands; open fieldsGrassland; wetlands; open fields
Primary dietVertebrateVertivore
Average mass353.75 gGlobal trait estimate
MovementPartial migrant; Irregular / nomadic movements; Long-distance dispersalAerial

Sound archive

Hear its voice

Explore real songs and calls. The spectrogram turns each sound into a visual trace of time and frequency.

XC972987Recording 1 of 3flight call
Spectrogram of Short-eared Owl: flight call
SpectrogramAsio flammeus

Play: flight call by Lars Mogensen

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Sound recorded by Lars Mogensen · XC972987 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Visualization by Stichting Xeno-canto voor Natuurgeluiden.

Every recording retains the creator, catalogue number, and license published by Xeno-canto. Metadata via GBIF

Island profile

Catalog scopeAvibase inferred core 380

About the Short-eared Owl

The short-eared owl (Asio flammeus) is a widespread grassland species in the family Strigidae. Owls belonging to genus Asio are known as the eared owls, as they have tufts of feathers resembling mammalian ears. These "ear" tufts may or may not be visible. The short-eared owl will display its tufts when in a defensive pose, although its very short tufts are usually not visible. The short-eared owl is found in open country and grasslands.

Conservation

Least Concern

IUCN LC

Global IUCN
LC
Puerto Rico DNER
No current listing in source crosswalk
Federal ESA
No current listing in source crosswalk
Critical habitat
Not identified in source crosswalk

Natural history

How it lives

Habitat
Grassland; wetlands; open fields
Elevation
0–4000 m
Nest
Scrape · Ground
Clutch
5–10 eggs
Social behavior
Colonial; Solitary

Keep exploring

This bird belongs to 6 paths through the atlas.

Evidence trail

Sources, media & further reading

Research note: Older DRNA karst assessment includes portoricensis; validate current taxonomy and population status