It has long been customary that owls are considered a symbol of wisdom and learning. And, of course, one cannot but agree that they are amazing birds. Owls are beautiful and mysterious. They cannot be confused with any other birds. These nocturnal predators with large heads, huge eyes and a protective color of plumage have become the heroes of many documentaries, feature and animated films, fairy tales and songs.
Habitats
One of the representatives of the order of owls is the short-eared owl. This bird, like others from the family we are considering, deserves due attention to its person. Its habitats are all continents except Antarctica and Australia. In the northern areas of the continents, it nests, ranging from the tundra to the steppe zones and semi-deserts.
It belongs to the genus of long-eared owls. Unlike other representatives of their order, these birds live near swamps, in meadows and fields, as well as in gullies. Short-eared owls build their nests not in trees, but on the ground - under various bushes, tussocks of moss or old snags.
In the winter season, these birds fly south, but if there is enough food, they can stay in their places.
Bolotnayaan owl in the summer is a solitary bird, usually resting on the ground. In cold weather, those individuals that have not flown to warmer climes are grouped in flocks and hibernate on trees. This happens as a result of a lack of food, or, conversely, if there is an abundance of food.
Description of Short-eared Owls
The owl order includes more than 220 large and medium birds of prey. These include short-eared owls. Visually, they are slightly smaller in size than crows. The body length is about 35 centimeters, but the wingspan reaches 110! Females tend to be larger than males.
Short-eared owls are yellowish-white with dark brown coloration, there are longitudinal streaks on the abdomen and on the head. White plumage predominates on the head, legs and sides. There are also other color options - more reddish or gray shades. These owls have lemon yellow eyes.
Hunting and food
The short-eared owl feeds mainly on small rodents, such as mice and voles, shrews and rats, rabbits and hamsters. In addition, small birds and insects, and sometimes even fish and snakes, can also be included in its diet. With this lifestyle, the owl is the regulator of the number of various rodents.
Production of food occurs mainly at night, but it also happens in the morning and evening. These predators fly perfectly, practically without landing on trees. Landing on the ground is carried out horizontally. When hunting, short-eared owls hover low over the openspace, swooping down on its prey. Leisurely and methodically flying around the area at a height of two meters from the ground, birds can notice prey even in tall grass. Their wonderful sense of smell helps them in this.
Mating season
The Short-eared Owl breeds in early spring, immediately upon arrival. After settling in their summer territories, the mating season begins for birds. But if food was plentiful, and the owls did not fly to warmer climes, mating can also take place in the winter hut.
The enticing sounds of the male are like a dull drum roll. In the process of mating games, he presents food to the female so as not to become a potential victim himself. Circling around the chosen one, the male tries to demonstrate himself in all its glory. And this whole marriage ritual lasts a considerable amount of time.
Procreation
Like all representatives of its species, the swamp owl takes breeding very seriously. The description of this stage in the life of birds is as follows. Owl nests are arranged annually in the same place. Each clutch contains four to seven white eggs. The female incubates them for twenty-one days. It should be noted that the size of the clutch is affected by the number of rodents, since in the years when food is scarce, owls may not breed at all.
After birth, the chicks stay in the nest for another eighteen days, and then the father and mother feed them outside the parental home. Owlets are born blind and deaf, their bodies are densely covered with white fluff. After seven days, the eyes and ears begin to fully work, and the fluff is replaced by a more mature plumage.
A month after birth, the owlets try to fly. Sexual maturity occurs at one year of age. In the wild, the life span of this species of owl reaches thirteen years.
Owl Enemies
Like all living creatures on the planet, the short-eared owl has its enemies. Photos and videos captured by researchers prove that she can fight them with dignity.
The most hardened enemies are ground predators - foxes, wolves, striped skunks. Birds of prey are also very insidious, exterminating short-eared owls during daylight hours. These include falcons, hawks, eagles, golden eagles. Crows have also been known to kill owls.
Of course, owls show aggression if they meet an enemy at their nest. Regardless of the size of the predator, they attack him, beat him with wings, claws and beak. There are many cases when, as a result of owl attacks, researchers were seriously injured and even died.
Quite often, both adult birds and chicks, in order to scare away the enemy, take a frightening pose - spread their wings and bend down. Then they seem several times larger and scare off small predators.
Relationship between humans and owls
Oddly enough, but people have always treated owls in a special way. The reason for this is their "non-bird" appearance, and a mysterious way of life, and a peculiarvoice. All these qualities, which the Short-eared Owl possesses in full, contributed to the emergence and spread of superstitions and fears among people.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, many representatives of these birds could be found in densely populated areas (mainly where the area is covered with shrubs), and not far from water bodies. However, today the number of short-eared owls in many parts of the world has decreased markedly. This was influenced by the inconsistent presence of a detachment of rodents, which form the basis of their diet.
The human factor, albeit indirectly, also plays a role. A considerable number of short-eared owls die near airports in a collision with aircraft. And in the middle of summer and early autumn, many young individuals die under the wheels of cars due to the bad habit of not taking off for a long time at the sight of a moving vehicle (even with the headlights on).
It is precisely because of the rapid reduction in their numbers that the necessary measures were taken in some states. So, for example, the marsh owl is protected by law in Belarus, Tatarstan, as well as in some other countries of America, Europe and Asia.
