PHOTO GALLERY

SHORT-EARED OWL


February 2009 - In addition to the tail, the wings can also provide important information about the age of a Short-eared Owl.  The photo above illustrates the contrast in colour between newly grown dark secondaries, and older secondaries that have been retained - in this case the six outermost secondaries are shown, with (from left to right) the first, second, and fifth feathers being new, and the third, fourth, and sixth being old.  Since Short-eared Owls do not replace flight feathers during their first year of life, this bird must be at least past its second summer.  (Photo by Marcel Gahbauer)

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