A mid-sized owl of open fields, often active at dusk. Stocky and rounded; tiny ear-tufts usually not visible in the field. Adult male is patterned buff and brown overall, with streaked breast, pale belly, spotted wings with orange-yellow primaries, pale face, dark eye-patches, and yellow eyes. Females are darker and more heavily marked. In flight, looks very similar to Long-eared Owl; note broad buffy patch on flight feathers, dark wrist, and dark wingtips, and buffy face.

Length: 38 (cm) Wingspan: 96 (cm)

Voice:

Typically silent. At nest site, series of hoots, wing-claps, barks, and squeals.

Habitat:

Open fields, grassland, agricultural land, prairie, marshes. Flight is jerky, swooping, moth-like, with extremely deep, deliberate wingbeats and lots of erratic changes in direction.

Behavior:

Nest is on the ground among thick grasses. Typically starts hunting at dusk; may be active on overcast days. In winter, often roosts communally with Northern Harriers and White-tailed Kites in dense grassy fields and hedgerows.

Feeding:

Hunts on the wing, flying over open fields, and pounces on prey. Eats voles, rodents, birds, and other small animals.