Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) Joseph Youngman Status: State Endangered
Washtenaw Co., MI 12/21/2007 © Bruce Bowman (ClickHU to view a comparison of Atlas I to II) U
Once seen flying low over open fields or During the MBBA I period, breeding was wetlands, the unique flight and appearance of confirmed in Chippewa County and probable the Short-eared Owl are not soon forgotten. One breeding was recorded in Isabella, Gratiot and of the most widespread owls in the world, its Lapeer. Between atlases there were midsummer North American breeding range extends from reports of Short-eared Owl from Osceola, northern Alaska and Canada south to California, Chippewa, Menominee (Whaley 1993), Huron Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. Individuals in the (Kielb 1996), Houghton (Byrne 2001), and northern part of its range are short to medium Benzie Counties (Byrne 2002) and confirmed distance migrants. It has been a rare breeder breeding records from Hillsdale County in 1996 and an uncommon migrant in Michigan. (Reinoehl 1997) and Monroe in 2000
(McWhirter 2001). The Monroe County record Distribution was a report of a Short-eared Owl nest with In a heavily forested state like Michigan, warm eggs on 15 February at Pt. Mouillee SGA, suitable breeding areas for the Short-eared Owl a very early nest date after an unusually warm are generally scarce. Extensive forest clearing winter. In Chippewa County throughout the state in the 1800s and early breeding/summering was noted in 2000 and 1900s may have provided some increased 2001 (Corace 2007) with an adult seen carrying breeding habitat, but more intensive modern food both years (Greg Corace pers. comm.). farming methods and the re-growth of forests MBBA II recorded Short-eared Owls in six have since taken away any gains. Areas with townships statewide, down from 15 in MBBA I. extensive agricultural lands do provide habitat if This seems to indicate a real reduction in they include significant pasturelands. Although breeding in Michigan. However, due to the rare in Michigan, the Short-eared Owl is found difficulties in detecting breeding Short-eared throughout the state during the breeding season Owls and the sporadic, cyclical nature of its from the lowest tier of counties north to Isle breeding, it seems quite possible that the true Royale. Breeding records from the late 1800s breeding status has not changed significantly. and early 1900s were recorded from Wayne, While the Short-eared is not a strictly nocturnal Oakland, Washtenaw and Calhoun Counties (Cook 1893, Barrows 1912, Wood 1951).
© 2011 Kalamazoo Nature Center Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) Joseph Youngman Status: State Endangered owl, it is easily overlooked unless special efforts conversion of forests to farmlands reached its are made to find it. peak. The continued loss of open unmanaged grasslands, as they revert to forest or get Breeding Biology swallowed by suburbs is without doubt hurting Usually wintering just south of Michigan or in this species in Michigan. Especially in the UP the state itself, the Short-eared Owl is a fairly and the northern LP, old fields are returning to early migrant each spring. McPeek and Adams forest. Little can reasonably be done to help. (1994) give the spring migration period as One area of opportunity is in the management of March and April. Binford (2006) gives a DNRE lands statewide. Many state wildlife median spring arrival date for the Keweenaw areas contain the types of habitat used by Short- Peninsula as 18 April. The Houghton County eared Owl for breeding as well as during breeding record during the MBBA II period migration. Keeping these state-managed areas noted territorial displays on 26 March 2007 and as open habitats will help the Short-eared Owl an adult carrying food on 28 April 2007. Short- maintain its rare but permanent status in eared Owls nest and forage in open habitats Michigan. The Short-eared Owl is on the such as fallow fields, open grassy wetlands and Michigan DNRE’s list of Endangered Species. tundra. They nest on the ground and are one of few owls that build their own nest (Wiggins et al. 2006). The successful nesting in Hillsdale County in 1996 was set in an area of over 600 acres of fallow agricultural land (Reinoehl 1997).
Abundance and Population Trends No significant population decrease is noted for this species across North America as a whole, though decreases are noted for several regions (Wiggins et al. 2006). Much of its habitat through the middle of North America has been relatively unaffected by the arrival of European civilization. The Short-eared Owl’s status in Ontario is listed as “stable to increasing” (Gahbauer 2007), but the author mentions more intensive observational efforts in the owl’s main breeding areas during their second atlas, which may have skewed the comparison. Wisconsin’s breeding bird atlas from 1995 through 2000 had only 14 records (Evrard 2006). Like most owls, the Short-eared is poorly recorded in BBS surveys and even breeding bird atlas projects. Therefore its true breeding status and any minor trends are very difficult to determine.
Conservation Needs The peak of Michigan’s value for this species was probably during the early 1900s when the
© 2011 Kalamazoo Nature Center Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) Joseph Youngman Status: State Endangered Literature Cited Reinoehl, J. 1997. Short-eared Owl nesting in Hillsdale Co. Michigan Birds and Natural Barrows, W.B. 1912. Michigan Bird Life. History 4(1): 18-19. Special Bulletin. Michigan Agricultural Wiggins, D.A., D.W. Holt, and S.M. Leasure. College. Lansing, MI. 2006. Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus), Binford, L.C. 2006. Birds of the Keweenaw The Birds of North American Online Peninsula, Michigan. MP 195. University (A.Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Ann Ornithology: Retrieved from Birds of North Arbor, MI. America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu Byrne, A. M. 2001. Michigan Bird Survey: /bna/species/602 Summer 2000 (June-July). Michigan Birds Whaley, W. 1993. Michigan Bird Survey: and Natural History 8(1): 19-46. Summer (June – July) 1992. Jack-Pine Byrne, A.M. 2002. Michigan Bird Survey: Warbler 70 (1) 26 – 32. Summer 2001 (June-July). Michigan Birds Wood, N.A. 1951. The Birds of Michigan. MP and Natural History 9(1): 21-48. 75. University of Michigan Museum of Cook, A.J. 1893. Birds of Michigan, 2nd Zoology. Ann Arbor, MI. edition. Bulletin 94. Michigan Agricultural Experimental Station. Lansing, MI. Suggested Citation Corace, R.G., III. 2007. Using multiple spatial scales to prioritize Youngman, J. 2011. Short-eared Owl (Asio openland bird conservation in the Midwest. flammeus). In Chartier, A.T., J.J. Baldy, and Ph.D. Dissertation, Michigan J.M. Brenneman (eds.). 2010-2011. The Technological University, Houghton, MI. Second Michigan Breeding Bird Atlas. Evrard, J.O. 2006 Short-eared Owl In Cutright, Kalamazoo Nature Center. Kalamazoo, MI. N.J., B.R. Harriman, and R.W. Howe. 2006. Accessed online at:
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