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Dieren en planten

Birds   Owls   Long-eared owl   Short-eared owl   Bird Protection   Raptors and owls   Barn owl   

Short-eared owl

size:

34-42 centimeters
wingspan: 90-105 centimeters

color (adults):

black-hooked beak, brownish-orange to brown plumage with barred tail and wings, streaked upper breast, yellow-orange eyes surrounded by ring of black feathers

food:

rodents (mostly voles), other small mammals, large insects

threats:

land predators, pollution (pesticides), disturbance from recreationists, loss of suitable habitat

Dutch status:

scarse nesting bird; seen year round, sometimes winter guest, sometimes migrants

habitat

peat bogs, marshes, dunes

reproduction:

maturity: 1 year old
number of eggs per nest: 4-7

life span:

unknown (maximum known age: + 20.5 years)

special nature:

active during the day, dusk and night; irregular wingbeats make it look bat-like in flight

  • Dut: Velduil
  • Eng: Short-eared Owl
  • Fren: Hibou des marais
  • Ger: Sumpfohreule
  • Ital: Gufo di palude
  • Lat: Asio flammeus
  • Dan: Mosehornugle
  • Nor: Jordugle
  • Frisian: Katüle
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Short-eared owl, Ecomare

Short-eared owl

Unlike most owls, you see short-eared owls flying also during the day. Their flame-colored plumage is easy to recognize in daylight. It's no coincidence that their Latin name describes this feature (flammeus). Short-eared owls are the only species of owls in the Netherlands that build their own nest. It's no more than a hollow, lined with grass and hidden in the vegetation. During years with lots of voles, these owls will lay as many as a dozen eggs. They protect their nests from predators using the cripple-wing technique: pretend to make an easy prey by walking around with a 'wounded' wing, thusly fooling the intruder and taking its attention away from the nest.

On Texel


Short-eared owls used to be found throughout the Netherlands, but nowadays they only nest on Ameland and Texel. The number of short-eared owls on these Wadden Islands fluctuates every year; sometimes none, other times more than ten. In 1999, Texel had 14 pairs, while in 2008 and 2009, there was only one pair. In 2011, at least 3 and maybe even 4 pairs had a nest on Texel. You have the best chance of seeing a short-eared owl in flight by the Slufter dike in the early morning or at dusk.

Short-eared owls on Texel feed mainly on root voles. However, since the arrival of the white-toothed shrew, you find remains of this animal in their pellets as well.

  • Hunting methods

    During the nesting season, when lots of food must be found, short-eared owls are active day and night. Outside of the nesting season, they hunt primarily during dusk, flying low over their territory in search of prey. They usually have a specific route that they follow. Sometimes, they wait on a pole until a suitable prey comes along.
    During migration season, short-eared owls on Texel use the light from the lighthouse to hunt. Migrating birds are attracted to the light, so that the owl only needs to be in the vicinity of the lighthouse to find prey without too much effort.

  • Distribution and habitat

    Part of the short-eared owl population that nests in northern Europe migrates south in October and November. This group returns in April and May. When there is not much snow on the ground, most short-eared owls stay close by their nesting grounds. However, young owls can roam quite a distance, sometimes up to 1000 kilometers. Short-eared owls have been seen several hundred kilometers off the coast. When there is a shortage of mice, they will also roam.

  • Protection
    • Monitoring: Red List, Network Ecological Monitoring
    • Policy: Target Species List
    • International: Bern Convention
    • European Agreement: Bird Directive; CITES ordinance
    • National legislation: Flora and Fauna Regulation