short-eared owl

noun

: a medium-sized nearly cosmopolitan owl (Asio flammeus) that has very short ear tufts and usually nests on the ground

Examples of short-eared owl in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The short-eared owl can be found in prairies and wetlands, unlike most other owls that live in forests, Williams said. Megan Marples, CNN, 9 Feb. 2024 Hawaiian short-eared owl, Nene goose, Honeycreeper, Maui petrel and Mauri Parrotbill. Camille Fine, USA TODAY, 29 July 2023 Nantucket: Five Northern shovelers at Great Point beach, a redhead near Hummock Pond, and a short-eared owl at Eel Point. Isabela Rocha, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Apr. 2023 In Fairhaven, two snowy egrets, two greater yellowlegs and a short-eared owl at Winsegansett Marsh, a glaucous gull at Fort Phoenix State Reservation, a clapper rail. Isabela Rocha, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Apr. 2023 Other sightings around the Cape included a blue-winged teal and 5 Northern pintail in Marstons Mills, a glaucous gull at Corporation Beach in Dennis, a great egret in West Dennis, 2 snowy egrets in Yarmouth, and a short-eared owl in Eastham. BostonGlobe.com, 28 Dec. 2022 Worcester County: Observers spotted three wood ducks in Westminster, and three sandhill cranes and a short-eared owl at Bolton Flats Wildlife Management Area in Bolton. BostonGlobe.com, 19 Feb. 2022 The short-eared owl can be found in prairies and wetlands, unlike most other owls who live in forests, Williams said. Megan Marples, CNN, 13 Feb. 2022 The notables were two cackling geese at the campus pond on the UMass campus in Amherst, a short-eared owl at the Honey Pot in Hadley, and a clay-colored sparrow in Easthampton. BostonGlobe.com, 12 Feb. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1766, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of short-eared owl was in 1766

Dictionary Entries Near short-eared owl

Cite this Entry

“Short-eared owl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/short-eared%20owl. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on short-eared owl

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!