“An owl that sits on the ground, an owl that flies in the daytime does not seem like a proper owl, but that is the short-eared owl. He sometimes does hide in dense forest and often flies at night, but he is not type-cast as a classic owl. His ears are not short, but are very large and hidden behind his facial discs as in other owls. The little tufts on his crown are his so-called "short" ears and are not usually even visible. I have seen short-eared owls on the Arctic tundra and near the southern tip of South America. They are very widespread in open country the world over.
“This bit of sagebrush prairie is very typical habitat, with plentiful ground cover, which the short-eared owl prefers. This late afternoon to twilight setting is the time of day best suited to his type of hunting.”