Bird

Short-eared Owl

Asio flammeus

A winter visitor to Virginia, found in all 133 counties and cities and 12 habitats.

Here: Winter
Nesting: Not known to nest here
Range: All 133 counties and cities
Habitats: 12

Male Short-eared Owl, whole bird — **Male**. no rights reserved. CC0. iNaturalist photo 43414366. Source-provided large resize; no crop or image edits.

At a glance

Group: Birds
Here: Winter
Nesting: Not known to nest here
Range: All 133 counties and cities
Habitats: 12
Habitat models: Winter

Where it lives

The places its habitat model includes. It is not found everywhere a habitat occurs.

Habitats in Virginia 12

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 12

WinterAtlantic Coastal Plain Northern Sandy Beach; Unconsolidated Shore (Beach/Dune); Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Sandy Beach; Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain Interdunal WetlandDune grassland. Shown: Core Banks, Cape Lookout, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Core Banks dunes, June 2013, Jarek Tuszyński, June 2013. CC BY-SA 3.0. Source record.

WinterDisturbed/Successional - Shrub Regeneration; Successional Shrub/Scrub (Other); Harvested Forest - Shrub RegenerationNamed place / source context. Shown: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Georgia and Tennessee; which part is not recorded, a neighboring state.Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields, Richard Schlecht, undated. Public domain. Source record.

WinterSouthern Appalachian Grass and Shrub Bald - Herbaceous ModifierGrassy mountain bald with shrub islands. Shown: Andrews Bald, Forney Ridge Trail, Swain County, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Andrews Bald, Forney Ridge Trail, July 2020, Andrea Walton / Great Smoky Mountains National Park, July 2020. Public domain. Source record.

WinterAtlantic Coastal Plain Large Natural LakeshoreRegional / representative. Shown: Southern coastal pond margins, Florida and Louisiana to North Carolina; state not identified, a neighboring state.Yellow butterwort beside a moss-hung coastal pond, Marian Ellis Rowan, 1901. Public domain. Source record.

WinterAtlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Salt and Brackish Marsh; Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Tidal Salt MarshBrackish marsh at a woodland edge. Shown: Fort Fisher, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Fort Fisher brackish marsh and woodland edge, ncwetlands.org, undated. CC0 1.0. Source record.

Coastal tidal marshes (salinity not stated)

Tidal marshes of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts where the source does not say whether the water is fresh, brackish or salt. A stated salinity files the marsh under freshwater tidal marshes or salt and brackish marshes instead.

Winter

Depression ponds and limesinks

Shallow ponds in Coastal Plain depressions, such as limesinks and the ponds in some Carolina bays, that rise and fall with the seasons.

WinterAtlantic Coastal Plain Depression Pondshore

Disturbed and introduced wetlands

Wet ground taken over by weedy or introduced plants after disturbance, such as common reed, Chinese tallow or tamarisk stands; the upland counterpart is roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.

Winter

Freshwater tidal marshes

Marshes along tidal rivers where the water is fresh but rises and falls with the tide.

WinterAtlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Freshwater Marsh; Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Fresh and Oligohaline Tidal Marsh

Granite and other acidic rock outcrops

Bare or thin-soil rock on granite, gneiss, sandstone, quartzite and similar acidic rock, including granite flatrocks and domes.

WinterCumberland Sandstone Glade and Barrens

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

WinterDeveloped, Open Space; Cultivated Cropland; Pasture/Hay; Disturbed/Successional - Grass/Forb Regeneration; Utility Swath - Herbaceous; Disturbed, Non-specific; Ruderal Upland - Old Field

Shale barrens

Steep, sun-baked slopes of loose shale with sparse oaks and Virginia pine and their own endemic wildflowers. Linked only where the source names shale barrens; calcareous shale stays with the limestone glades.

Winter

Other habitats in its models (197)

Land cover, or classes with no habitat page in Virginia.

Orchards Vineyards and Other High Structure Agriculture Winter.
Barren Land Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Beach Winter.
Unconsolidated Shore (Lake/River/Pond) Winter.
Unconsolidated Shore Winter.
North American Warm Desert Active and Stabilized Dune Winter.
Upper Texas Coast Beach Winter.
Louisiana Beach Winter.
Southeast Florida Beach Winter.
Great Lakes Dune Winter.
South Florida Shell Hash Beach Winter.
Florida Panhandle Beach Vegetation Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Sea Island Beach Winter.
Southwest Florida Beach Winter.
Inter-Mountain Basins Active and Stabilized Dune Winter.
Mediterranean California Southern Coastal Dune Winter.
Mediterranean California Northern Coastal Dune Winter.
North Pacific Maritime Coastal Sand Dune and Strand Winter.
Texas Coastal Bend Beach Winter.
Colorado Plateau Mixed Bedrock Canyon and Tableland Winter.
Western Great Plains Badland Winter.
Inter-Mountain Basins Shale Badland Winter.
Columbia Plateau Ash and Tuff Badland Winter.
Temperate Pacific Intertidal Mudflat Winter.
Temperate Pacific Freshwater Mudflat Winter.
Inter-Mountain Basins Wash Winter.
North Pacific Serpentine Barren Winter.
North American Warm Desert Playa Winter.
Mediterranean California Serpentine Barrens Winter.
Inter-Mountain Basins Playa Winter.
Mediterranean California Alpine Bedrock and Scree Winter.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Black Belt Calcareous Prairie and Woodland - Herbaceous Modifier Winter.
North Pacific Oak Woodland Winter.
Eastern Great Plains Tallgrass Aspen Parkland Winter.
Inter-Mountain Basins Curl-leaf Mountain Mahogany Woodland and Shrubland Winter.
Western Great Plains Wooded Draw and Ravine Winter.
Central Interior Highlands Dry Acidic Glade and Barrens Winter.
Chihuahuan Creosotebush, Mixed Desert and Thorn Scrub Winter.
Chihuahuan Mixed Salt Desert Scrub Winter.
Chihuahuan Stabilized Coppice Dune and Sand Flat Scrub Winter.
Chihuahuan Succulent Desert Scrub Winter.
Inter-Mountain Basins Mixed Salt Desert Scrub Winter.
Mojave Mid-Elevation Mixed Desert Scrub Winter.
Sonora-Mojave Creosotebush-White Bursage Desert Scrub Winter.
Sonora-Mojave Mixed Salt Desert Scrub Winter.
Sonoran Mid-Elevation Desert Scrub Winter.
Apacherian-Chihuahuan Mesquite Upland Scrub Winter.
Chihuahuan Mixed Desert and Thorn Scrub Winter.
Sonoran Paloverde-Mixed Cacti Desert Scrub Winter.
Florida Peninsula Inland Scrub Winter.
Tamaulipan Mixed Deciduous Thornscrub Winter.
Tamaulipan Mesquite Upland Scrub Winter.
Tamaulipan Calcareous Thornscrub Winter.
Northern California Coastal Scrub Winter.
Western Great Plains Sandhill Steppe Winter.
Northern Rocky Mountain Foothill Conifer Wooded Steppe Winter.
Apacherian-Chihuahuan Semi-Desert Grassland and Steppe Winter.
Chihuahuan Gypsophilous Grassland and Steppe Winter.
Columbia Plateau Steppe and Grassland Winter.
Columbia Plateau Low Sagebrush Steppe Winter.
Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe Winter.
Inter-Mountain Basins Montane Sagebrush Steppe Winter.
Inter-Mountain Basins Semi-Desert Shrub Steppe Winter.
Willamette Valley Upland Prairie and Savanna Winter.
North-Central Oak Barrens Winter.
Southern Piedmont Glade and Barrens Winter.
Central Interior Highlands Calcareous Glade and Barrens Winter.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Catahoula Barrens Winter.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Nepheline Syenite Glade Winter.
Laurentian Pine-Oak Barrens Winter.
Klamath-Siskiyou Xeromorphic Serpentine Savanna and Chaparral Winter.
Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Shrubland Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Xeric River Dune Winter.
Inter-Mountain Basins Juniper Savanna Winter.
Madrean Juniper Savanna Winter.
Great Lakes Alvar Winter.
Colorado Plateau Mixed Low Sagebrush Shrubland Winter.
Columbia Plateau Scabland Shrubland Winter.
Inter-Mountain Basins Mat Saltbush Shrubland Winter.
Wyoming Basins Dwarf Sagebrush Shrubland and Steppe Winter.
Great Basin Xeric Mixed Sagebrush Shrubland Winter.
Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland Winter.
Colorado Plateau Blackbrush-Mormon-tea Shrubland Winter.
Northwestern Great Plains Shrubland Winter.
Rocky Mountain Lower Montane-Foothill Shrubland Winter.
Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Heathland and Grassland Winter.
Edwards Plateau Limestone Shrubland Winter.
Mediterranean California Alpine Dry Tundra Winter.
North Pacific Alpine and Subalpine Dry Grassland Winter.
Mediterranean California Subalpine Meadow Winter.
North Pacific Montane Grassland Winter.
Northern Rocky Mountain Lower Montane, Foothill and Valley Grassland Winter.
Northern Rocky Mountain Subalpine-Upper Montane Grassland Winter.
Rocky Mountain Subalpine-Montane Mesic Meadow Winter.
Southern Rocky Mountain Montane-Subalpine Grassland Winter.
Eastern Highland Rim Prairie and Barrens - Dry Modifier Winter.
Central Mixedgrass Prairie Winter.
Chihuahuan Sandy Plains Semi-Desert Grassland Winter.
Columbia Basin Foothill and Canyon Dry Grassland Winter.
Inter-Mountain Basins Semi-Desert Grassland Winter.
Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie Winter.
Columbia Basin Palouse Prairie Winter.
Western Great Plains Foothill and Piedmont Grassland Winter.
Western Great Plains Sand Prairie Winter.
Western Great Plains Shortgrass Prairie Winter.
Western Great Plains Tallgrass Prairie Winter.
North-Central Interior Sand and Gravel Tallgrass Prairie Winter.
Arkansas Valley Prairie and Woodland Winter.
Northern Tallgrass Prairie Winter.
Central Tallgrass Prairie Winter.
Southern Blackland Tallgrass Prairie Winter.
Southeastern Great Plains Tallgrass Prairie Winter.
Florida Dry Prairie Winter.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Calcareous Prairie Winter.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Calcareous Prairie Winter.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Jackson Prairie and Woodland Winter.
Tamaulipan Savanna Grassland Winter.
Tamaulipan Clay Grassland Winter.
South Texas Sand Sheet Grassland Winter.
Chihuahuan Loamy Plains Desert Grassland Winter.
California Mesic Serpentine Grassland Winter.
Great Lakes Wet-Mesic Lakeplain Prairie Winter.
California Central Valley and Southern Coastal Grassland Winter.
California Northern Coastal Grassland Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Dune and Maritime Grassland Winter.
Southwest Florida Dune and Coastal Grassland Winter.
Texas-Louisiana Coastal Prairie Winter.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Dune and Coastal Grassland Winter.
Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Dune and Swale Winter.
Central and Upper Texas Coast Dune and Coastal Grassland Winter.
South Texas Dune and Coastal Grassland Winter.
North Pacific Hypermaritime Shrub and Herbaceous Headland Winter.
North Pacific Herbaceous Bald and Bluff Winter.
Recently Logged Areas Winter.
Harvested Forest - Northwestern Conifer Regeneration Winter.
Harvested Forest - Grass/Forb Regeneration Winter.
Recently Burned Winter.
Recently Burned Forest Winter.
Recently Burned Grassland Winter.
Recently Burned Shrubland Winter.
Introduced Upland Vegetation - Shrub Winter.
Introduced Upland Vegetation - Forbland Winter.
Introduced Upland Vegetation - Annual Grassland Winter.
Introduced Upland Vegetation - Perennial Grassland Winter.
Introduced Upland Vegetation - Perennial Grassland and Forbland Winter.
Modified/Managed Southern Tall Grassland Winter.
Recently Chained Pinyon-Juniper Areas Winter.
Acadian Salt Marsh and Estuary Systems Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Salt and Brackish Tidal Marsh Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Indian River Lagoon Tidal Marsh Winter.
Mississippi Sound Salt and Brackish Tidal Marsh Winter.
Temperate Pacific Tidal Salt and Brackish Marsh Winter.
Florida Big Bend Salt-Brackish Tidal Marsh Winter.
South Florida Everglades Sawgrass Marsh Winter.
Great Lakes Coastal Marsh Systems Winter.
Floridian Highlands Freshwater Marsh Winter.
North Pacific Intertidal Freshwater Wetland Winter.
North American Arid West Emergent Marsh Winter.
Temperate Pacific Freshwater Emergent Marsh Winter.
Great Lakes Freshwater Estuary and Delta Winter.
Central Florida Herbaceous Seep Winter.
Florida Big Bend Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Winter.
Northern Great Lakes Coastal Marsh Winter.
Southern Coastal Plain Herbaceous Seepage Bog Winter.
Laurentian-Acadian Freshwater Marsh Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Winter.
Inter-Mountain Basins Interdunal Swale Wetland Winter.
North Pacific Bog and Fen Winter.
Rocky Mountain Subalpine-Montane Fen Winter.
Mediterranean California Subalpine-Montane Fen Winter.
Mediterranean California Serpentine Fen Winter.
South Florida Wet Marl Prairie Winter.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Savanna and Wet Prairie Winter.
Texas Saline Coastal Prairie Winter.
Eastern Great Plains Wet Meadow, Prairie, and Marsh Winter.
Rocky Mountain Alpine-Montane Wet Meadow Winter.
Willamette Valley Wet Prairie Winter.
Temperate Pacific Montane Wet Meadow Winter.
Columbia Plateau Silver Sagebrush Seasonally Flooded Shrub-Steppe Winter.
Chihuahuan-Sonoran Desert Bottomland and Swale Grassland Winter.
Great Plains Prairie Pothole Winter.
Western Great Plains Depressional Wetland Systems Winter.
Western Great Plains Open Freshwater Depression Wetland Winter.
Columbia Plateau Vernal Pool Winter.
Western Great Plains Closed Depression Wetland Winter.
Western Great Plains Saline Depression Wetland Winter.
Central Florida Herbaceous Pondshore Winter.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Depression Pondshore Winter.
Inter-Mountain Basins Alkaline Closed Depression Winter.
South Florida Freshwater Slough and Gator Hole Winter.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest - Herbaceous Modifier Winter.
South-Central Interior Large Floodplain - Herbaceous Modifier Winter.
Inter-Mountain Basins Greasewood Flat Winter.
North American Warm Desert Wash Winter.
Western Great Plains Floodplain Winter.
North American Warm Desert Riparian Mesquite Bosque Winter.
Texas-Louisiana Coastal Prairie Slough Winter.