Birding Field Trip: Short-eared Owls

Let’s travel to Gettysburg for a special winter evening birding excursion, in search of Short-eared Owls. Short-eared Owls are medium-sized owls with rounded heads. The “ears" mentioned in their name are difficult to see. The wings are broad and the tips are smoothly rounded. The tail is short. The owls are medium brown spotted with buff and white on the upper parts, and the face is pale with yellow eyes accentuated by black outlines. The breast is heavily streaked with brown; the chest and belly are pale or buff. They hunt during daylight, flying low over short vegetation. They flap with stiff beats of their rounded wings, giving their flight a buoyant, mothlike quality. Look for Short-eared Owls in grasslands and open areas, where they perch in low trees or on the ground. For more information, email to: info@NatureAndCultureInstitute.org