NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Short-eared Owl
Asio flammeus (Pontoppidan, 1763)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
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.
Wikipedia contributors, Short-eared owl; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:46:28.489435+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Asio flammeus (Pontoppidan, 1763)
- Name authority
- (Pontoppidan, 1763)
- Common name
- Short-eared Owl
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Strigidae
- Genus
- Asio
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderStrigiformes
- familyStrigidae
- subfamilyStriginae
- genusAsio Brisson, 1760
- speciesAsio flammeus (Pontoppidan, 1763)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Asio. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Long-eared OwlAsio otus (Linnaeus, 1758) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Madagascar OwlAsio madagascariensis (A. Smith, 1834) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Striped OwlAsio clamator (Vieillot, 1808) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Jamaican OwlAsio grammicus (Gosse, 1847) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Fearful OwlAsio solomonensis (E. J. O. Hartert, 1901) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Abyssinian OwlAsio abyssinicus (Guérin-Méneville, 1843) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Marsh OwlAsio capensis (A. Smith, 1834) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Stygian OwlAsio stygius (Wagler, 1832) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Strix flammea Pontoppidan, 1763 Pontoppidan, 1763 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Caribbean
Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China)
North America
Oceania
Southern Asia
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=177935 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:5W66M. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.