Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)
This is a bird of tundra, moorland, grassland and marshes, places where there are few if any trees. In these barren habitats the Short-eared Owl is unusual in laying its eggs on the ground, usually in a shallow scrape excavated by the female. The site chosen is usually on a slightly raised, dry patch with copious low vegetation, but occasionally the birds must make do with wetter sites where they will do something almost unique among owls, which is build a nest.
Another unusual piece of behaviour necessitated by the Short-eared Owl’s attachment to open areas is its tendency to roost on the ground. In winter, when Short-eared Owls are drawn to food-rich sites in numbers, these roosts are community affairs, with a membership that regularly reaches 20 and may touch 100. Owls are rarely sociable so, once again, the Short-eared Owl defies owl norms. These roosts may be occupied at varying times, because the Short-eared Owl hunts regularly at any hour of day or night.
In the breeding season male Short-eared Owls perform an impressive display-flight, rising high into the air and clapping their wings together to make an audible sound. If approached by a rival instead of a potential mate they switch to the “Underwing Display”, lifting their wings high to show off their pale coloration.