Short-eared Owl
Short-eared OwlShort-eared OwlShort-eared OwlShort-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

Asio flammeus

Silhouette: Alexandre Vong · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Cairngorms National Park
60 Verified sightings at Cairngorms National Park From 2019 to 2026
2,248 Verified sightings across all 44 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month highest sighting rate
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted Active throughout day and night

About the Short-eared Owl

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.

Eleven subspecies are recognised: A. f. flammeus – (Pontoppidan, 1763): the nominate subspecies, found in North America, Europe, North Africa and northern Asia A. f. cubensis – Garrido, 2007: found in Cuba A. f. domingensis – (Statius Müller, 1776): found on Hispaniola

A. f. portoricensis – Ridgway, 1882: found in Puerto Rico A. f. bogotensis – Chapman, 1915: found in Colombia... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Cairngorms National Park

Long-eared Owl
LC

Long-eared Owl

☀️🌙 Day & Night Bird

Asio otus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Tawny Owl
LC

Tawny Owl

☀️🌙 Day & Night Bird

Strix aluco

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Common Barn-Owl
LC

Common Barn-Owl

☀️🌙 Day & Night Bird

Tyto alba

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Wood Buffalo National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
2 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~10%
3 Galápagos Islands 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~10%
4 Vatnajokull National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
~10%
5 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
7 Torres del Paine National Park 🇨🇱 Chile
<5%
8 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
<5%
9 Thingvellir National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
<5%
10 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
11 Manas National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
12 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
13 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
14 Puracé National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
15 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
16 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
17 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%
18 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
19 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
20 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
21 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
22 Gir National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
23 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
Insufficient data
24 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
Insufficient data
25 Katmai National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
26 Emas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
27 El Impenetrable National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
Insufficient data
28 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
Insufficient data
29 Serra da Canastra National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
30 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
31 Royal Manas National Park 🇧🇹 Bhutan
Insufficient data
32 Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park 🇨🇱 Chile
Insufficient data
33 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
Insufficient data
34 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
Insufficient data
35 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Insufficient data
36 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data
37 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
38 Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park 🇲🇳 Mongolia
Insufficient data
39 Nahuel Huapi National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
Insufficient data
40 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
Insufficient data
41 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
42 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
43 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
44 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Short-eared Owl in Cairngorms National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Short-eared Owl sighting in Cairngorms National Park, based on 60 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Short-eared Owl in Cairngorms National Park?

June has the highest sighting rate for Short-eared Owl in Cairngorms National Park in our monthly data.

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