Asio flammeus
Silhouette: Alexandre Vong · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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.
The short-eared owl was formally described in 1763 by the Lutheran bishop Erik Pontoppidan under the binomial name Strix flammea. The specific epithet is from the Latin flammeus meaning "flammulated" or "flame-coloured". This owl is now placed with seven other species in the genus Asio that was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 2 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 4 | Torres del Paine National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 5 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 8 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Iberá National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 10 | Badlands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Denali National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 13 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 14 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 15 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 17 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 20 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 21 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 22 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brookfield Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Shanghai Zoo | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 3 | Parc ornithologique de Pont-de-Gau | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Tama Zoological Park | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 5 | Kyiv Zoo | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 6 | Fonghuanggu Bird and Ecology Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 7 | Birds of prey | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Oregon Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Zoo Santo Inácio | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 10 | Buin Zoo | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 11 | Kazan Zoo & Botanical Garden | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 12 | Zoopark Chelyabinsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 13 | Le Marais aux Oiseaux | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 14 | Zoopark Limpopo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 15 | Odesa Zoo | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 16 | Zoo Koki (Parque zoológico y botánico) | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 17 | Hortobágyi Madárpark | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 18 | Záchranná stanice Pavlov | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 19 | Centro de Recuperación de Rapaces Brinzal | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 20 | Chouette à voir! | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 21 | Mokupāpapa Discovery Center | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 22 | Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 23 | Parque Cóndor | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 24 | Serpent Safari | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Short-eared Owl sighting in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, based on 331 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 163rd most-seen of the 285 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Short-eared Owl in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Short-eared Owl sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
6th of 22
Of the 22 parks where we can rate Short-eared Owl sightings, Wadden Sea National Park ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Biebrza National Park (Poland, about 10%), Galápagos Islands (Ecuador, about 10%) and Fertő-Hanság National Park (Hungary, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Short-eared Owl is recorded against all the birds logged in Wadden Sea National Park (331 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
