Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)

Short-eared Owl [lateral view of adult in flight]. Photograph Credit: David L. Roemer; Barren County, Kentucky; 27 January 2011.

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Abundance: Very Uncommon during winter; Rare during fall and spring; 17 records in11 Regional counties, 4 in Kentucky and 7 in Tennessee (Map of UCR Distribution); data from the Regional bird-monitoring efforts are too few to determine a trend in the population wintering in the Region (see also Regional Bird-Monitoring Plan).

Status: Winter Resident; designated as an endangered breeding species by the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission (2004); specimen ([photographed] see link below); photograph (above).

Regional High Count: 15 (18 January 2011; Barren County, Kentucky; David L. Roemer et al.); CBC/CBB High Count: 3 (31 December 2010; Barren County, Kentucky [Glasgow CBC]; Stephen J. Stedman, Aaron Hulsey).

Information on Records: 

28 December 1991 (1) White County, Tennessee (Thomas Roberts; Stedman 1992a).

23–27 November 1995 (2) Mark Welborn Rd., northeastern Pulaski County, Kentucky (Gary McClendon, Linda McClendon, Jackie B. Elmore, Sr., Roseanna M. Denton et al.).

10 January 1996 (1) Cane Creek Park, Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman); see also Remarks (below).

30 March 1997 (2) Ano strip mines, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Clay Black); see also Remarks (below) 

28 November/24 December 1999/10 January 2000 (1/2/1) Ano strip mines, Daniel Boone National Forest [first and second records only; third record on private land at Ano], Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton/Roseanna M. Denton/ Roseanna M. Denton et al.; Busroe 2000a and 2000b).

10 December 2000 (1) Ano strip mines, Daniel Boone National Forest, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton).

20 December 2003 (2) Ano strip mines, Daniel Boone National Forest, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton, Julie Denton, Steve Denton; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2004b).

10 January 2004 (1) c. 15 km west of Monticello on Rt. 90, Wayne County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton, Terry M. Campbell; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2004b).

6 December 2005 (1) Old Glasgow-Munfordville Rd., Barren County, Kentucky (Eric Williams; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2006b).

15/18/20/21/24/26/28/31 January/1/5/6/7/12/15/17/20/27 February/3/6/8/10/12/15/18 March 2006 (4+/3/3/4/1–2/4/3/4/3/4/4/4/3/2/4/5/3/4/3/3/4/4/4/1) Ninemile Crossroad, Sequatchie Valley, Bledsoe County, Tennessee (David J. Trently, Audrey R. Hoff, Mike Nelson/Stephen J. Stedman et al./Steve Clendenen et al./Douglas A. Downs, Marti Downs/James M. Campbell, Betty Reid Campbell/Clyde Blum/Ruth Ann Henry, m. ob./Howard Chitwood/Zack Barrow/Robin Barrow/Stephen J. Stedman, Ginger K. Ensor/Ruth Ann Henry et al./Daniel R. Jacobson et al./Winston A. Walden, Michael P. O'Rourke/Stephen J. Stedman et al./Ruth Ann Henry et al./Ronnie D. Smith/Tommy L. Curtis et al./ Stephen J. Stedman/Stephen J. Stedman/ Stephen J. Stedman/Stephen J. Stedman/Stephen J. Stedman/Stephen J. Stedman).

15 October 2006 (1—found injured then died; specimen to be donated to TTU Biology Department) Gore Farm near Carthage, Smith County, Tennessee (Charles and Audrey Elrod fide Lee Barclay; Casteel 2007a), photo ([of specimen] Kurt Snider).

25 December 2008–12 January 2009/26 January/10 February–21 March 2009 (1–3/1/1–2) Hillendale Rd. area, Cumberland County, Tennessee (Edmund K. LeGrand, Harry E. LeGrand [first date], m. ob. [thereafter]/Edmund K. LeGrand/Edmund K. LeGrand); photo (David Kirschke, 12 January 2009).

10 November 2010 (1) Shadow Mountain Estates, Cumberland County, Tennessee (Edmund K. LeGrand).

20 November 2010–20 March 2011 (5–15) near Bon Ayr, Barren County, Kentucky (David L. Roemer photo [21 January 2011], Linda Craiger, et al.).

12 January 2011 (1) Cummins-McWilliams Rd., Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton).

15 February 2011 (2) Monroe County, Kentucky (Stephen J. Stedman).

28 December 2013 (3) northeastern Macon County, Tennessee (Reuben Stoll), an eBird record.

12 January/24 February/28February2015 (2/1/2) northeastern Macon County, Tennessee (Reuben Stoll/Chris Agee/Janie C. Finch), eBird records.

23 March 2015 (1) c. 0.5 miles south of intersection of Rt. 293 and Rt. 111 on latter thoroughfare, Overton County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman), an eBird record.

10 February 2017 (2) Susie Field, Wayne County, Kentucky (Ray Bontrager).

Regional Extreme Dates:

    Early Fall: 15 October 2006 (Smith County, Tennessee; Charles and Audrey Elrod fide Lee Barclay); Next Earliest Fall : 10 November 2010 (Cumberland County, Tennessee; Edmund K. LeGrand).

    Late Spring: 30 March 1997 (Pulaski County, Kentucky; Clay Black).

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: No registrations.

Habitat: Areas of extensive grassland with a mesic component, especially fields of broom sedge (David L. Roemer pers. com.); extensive short-grass, dryish fields used by the Short-ears in Cumberland County, Tennessee, during the winter of 2008–2009 and during the single sighting during fall 2010; fields in bottomlands of major rivers preferred in some areas of the winter range, but this preference is not yet evident in the Region.

Remarks: Crepuscular; most often sighted at dusk, but probably just as likely to be active at dawn near roost sites; occasionally flies during the day, especially under overcast conditions.

    The Short-ear seen in Putnam County, Tennessee, was observed the day following a snowfall of several inches; it was harassed by crows and began flying in bright sunlight conditions, soaring in large circles to an altitude of several hundred feet.

    Clay Black (pers. com.) reported 2 "interacting" Short-eared Owls 30 March 1997 at the Ano strip mines, Pulaski County, Kentucky.  Although Short-eared Owls often engage in aerial acrobatics with one another at communal wintering sites, aerial courtship behavior was also suggested by the interactions of these 2 Short-ears; if that was the case, then these 2 owls may have represented a pair.  Possibly, courtship in this species is initiated during late winter or early spring south of the breeding range, with the pair then migrating together north to the breeding range, which from south-central Kentucky is about 150 km northwest to the closest known breeding site.  However, the Ano strip mines provide potential breeding habitat for this owl; given the lateness of the season during which they were noted, the 2 Short-ears observed by Black might have been breeding at that site, though attempts to relocate these owls on several subsequent dates were unsuccessful.

    Wilson (1962: 15) refers to "some records [undated] in slash country of Barren County (Starr)."

Check-lists of Birds for the Counties of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of each county of the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed by clicking on the links below. For each county, there are two check-lists: one list that shows the species that have been observed and where possible documented in the county within the larger list for the entire Region; and one list that includes only the species observed in the county with annotations for the date and observers for at least one sighting (the ultimate goal of the latter list will be to include annotations for the very first known Regional observation of each species in that county; this goal is probably one that will take many years to complete, if completion is even a possibility). To see if the species discussed in this species account has been observed in a county, click below or click on the link for the Map of UCR Distribution near the top of the page.

Check-lists of Birds for Some Public Access Birding Sites of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of some public access birding sites within the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed via the links below. To see if the species dealt with in this species account has been observed within any of these sites, click on the appropriate link below. See the pages for each county within the Gazetteer for links to additional smaller public access birding sites with check-lists in progress.

Literature Cited