170 LAND BIRDS 
Breeding Season: March 15 to May 15. 
Nest: A few sticks ; lined with grasses and feathers; placed on the 
ground in the long grass of the meadow, or at the foot of a bush, or 
beside a log, or in a rabbit burrow. 
Eggs: 4 to 6 Se Size 1.56 X L19. 
THE habits of the Short-eared Owl differ so greatly 
from those of the rest of its family that it is sometimes 
called the Marsh Owl. It is rarely seen in a tree, and 
never in the dense woods. On bright days it sits con- 
cealed in the long grass of a marsh; but at dusk or in 
cloudy weather it can be found hunting its food over the 
low, wet meadows. In California it breeds on the coast 
marshes and islands, making its nest on the ground and 
lining it with feathers from its own body. Incubation 
lasts nearly four weeks. 
The young are more fully feathered when hatched than 
most young owls. They soon flutter about in the grass 
with their parents, sitting patiently beside a marsh rat’s 
run, or chasing grasshoppers with awkward fluttering 
hops. The adult, although it usually flies low over the 
marshes, may be seen during the breeding season flying 
quite high in the air and uttering a shrill, high, yelp- 
ing call. 
The food of these owls consists mostly of mice and 
quadrupeds, but they are very fond of terns, which they 
pursue through the open, and which, being the better 
fliers, usually make good their escape. They are emi- 
nently gregarious, remaining in flocks and colonies of 
several hundred, 
