Distribution

Breeding Range

Figure 1 . Open habitats, excluding forest and some desert areas. From n. Alaska, n. Yukon, n. Mackenzie, central Keewatin, s. Baffin Is. (probably), n. Quebec, n. Labrador and Newfoundland south to e. Aleutian Is. (west to Unalaska), s. Alaska, central (and formerly s.) California, n. Nevada, Utah, ne. Colorado, Kansas, Montana, s. Illinois, n. Indiana, n. Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and n. (formerly coastal) Virginia. In the Greater Antilles, found on Cuba, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico (Am. Ornithol. Union 1983). Recently rediscovered nesting in Cuba (Garrido 1984). Shows patchy and irregular distribution in some areas. Can be nomadic and occur in suitable open country where prey species are abundant.

In South America two mainland races: one in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela; and the other in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay (Voous 1988; Tate 1992; see also Systematics).

Details for selected regions of North America, as follows:

Quebec (Belanger and Bombardier 1996): in s. Quebec, breeders found primarily in marshlands of St. Lawrence river valley, and around Lake-St.-Jean and the upper Saguenay River.  Also on the Magdalen Is. (significant concentration) and along the north shore of the St. Lawrence east to the Sainte-Marie Is. In n. Quebec, observers are fewer and data correspondingly scarce, but species seen often in summer on shoreline marshes of James and Hudson bays, as far north as Inukjuak, less often in Great Whale and Little Whale river watersheds.  Probably widespread in pockets of northern tundra in areas with abundant lemmings.

Ontario (Weir 1987): likewise along shoreline marshes of James and Hudson bays; rare and local elsewhere except northeastern marshes of Lake Ontario, where lake meets w. St. Lawrence River valley. Largely absent from Boreal Forest zone.

Massachusetts (Holt 2003): breeders confined to islands of the southeast (Nantucket, Tuckernuck, Martha’s Vinyard; Monomy), likely owing to increased predation pressure and development at mainland coastal sites. In winter, more common at mainland coastal sites.

New York State (Schneider 2003): rare and local, confined mainly to St. Lawrence and Champlain valleys, Great Lakes plains, and Long Island’s south shore, although may now be extirpated from latter (e.g., see the NY State Breeding Bird Atlas).

New Jersey (Walsh et al. 1999): extirpated as a breeding species since late 1980s.  Rare and local before that, primarily coastal marshes.

Pennsylvania (Master 1992): very rare and local, restricted to reclaimed strip mine grasslands in w.-central counties (Clarion, Jefferson) and in marshlands surrounding the Philadelphia International Airport, se. PA (latter needs re-confirmation).

Puerto Rico,Virgin Is., Hispaniola (Raffaele 1989; Garrido 1995, Guerrero 2005): uncommon breeder in Puerto Rico and Hispaniola; found primarily in pasture, short-grass marshland, and around airports. Also known from Mona Is., Culebra, and St. Thomas, but not known to breed there.

Cuba (Garrido 1984, 1995): species expanded range and numbers substantially during 1980s and 90s, apparently owing to increase of rice, sugar, and citrus fields – and the prey (Rattus sp, Mus sp.) that thrived in those agricultural habitats.  Now widespread on the island, including Isle of Pines (Youth).

South Dakota (See the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center map): uncommon and local, primarily in western half of state.

Alberta (Clayton 2000): fairly common in grassland and parkland (non-mountainous) regions of south, and (more irregularly) into boreal regions of north.

Washington State (Smith et al. 1997; also the WA State Breeding Bird Atlas maps): primarily shrub-steppe habitats in southeastern portions of state; scattered records from around Puget Sound.

California (Small 1994): breeds sparsely in northeast (Klamanth Basin, Modoc Plateau, Great Basin) south to s. Lassen Co.; formerly (probably extirpated now?) in Mono Basin and n. Owens Valley. Uncommon and irregular breeder in s. Sacramento Valley, around San Francisco Bay, and south in interior and coastal valleys to Monterey Co. Some concentration in Solano Co. (Grizzly I. WMA), just north and east of San Francisco.  Scarce, local, and possibly extirpated as breeder in s. California (e.g., see eBird).

British Columbia (Campbell et al. 1990): rare and local breeder on south mainland coast, and in south and central interior.

Winter Range

Figure 1 . Same as breeding range in some areas (primarily coastal and island populations). From s. Canada south to s. Baja California (casually to Los Coronados Is. and Isla Tiburon), Oaxaca, Puebla, Veracruz, the Gulf Coast, and s. Florida (Am. Ornithol. Union 1983). In Mexico, uncommon to rare, primarily nw. Mexico (including Baja), south occasionally to n. Veracruz and Puebla; sea level to 3000 m (Howell and Webb 1995; see also Enriquez-Rocha et al. 1993). Accidental to Revillagigedo Is. (Clarion), Guatemala (Volcan de Agua), Bahamas (Grand Turk), Lesser Antilles (St. Barthelemy), Bermuda, and Greenland (Mikkola 1983, Cramp 1985, Voous 1988). Found on San Clemente I. s. California, Dec-Apr only (Condon et al. 2005). Given propensity to wander in search of food, can occur almost anywhere that suitable habitat and prey exist.

Breeding Range

Island populations found on Hawaiian Islands (main islands from Kauai eastward), Caroline Is., Ponape, Azores, Borneo, British Isles, Falklands, Galapagos, Kuril, Iceland, Philippines, Ryukyu, and Tierra del Fuego. In Eurasia, found breeding from Scandinavia, n. Russia, and n. Siberia south to s. Europe, Afghanistan, Transbaicalia, n. Mongolia, n. Manchuria, Anadyrland, Sakhalin, and Kamchatka (Cramp 1985).

Winter Range

Hawaiian Islands, casually to western islands of Kure, Midway, east to French Frigate Shoals. Northwest Africa, Mediterranean region, ne. Africa, Asia Minor, Ceylon, Malaysia, s. China, and Japan(Cramp 1985).

Few quantitative records, but declines in many regions of ne. U.S. have  significantly restricted breeding there; historically bred in at least 8 Northeastern states; by late 1900s, known to nest only in Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, and Pennsylvania (Tate 1992).

In 19^thand early 20^thcenturies, records of local breeding in marshes and bogs of perhaps a dozen regions of Pennsylvania; by 1990s, found just in 2 locales in that state (Master 1992). In New Jersey (Walsh et al. 1999), apparently extirpated as a breeder by late 1980s; historically rare but regular in Salem and Cumberland counties, and north along coast to Barnegat and Newark bays. In New York State, apparently lost as breeder from Long Island by late 1990s. See Demography and Populations: status.

In s. Florida during 1980s and 90s, species has occurred with increasing frequency, primarily during fall, winter, and early spring; plumage coloration and body measurements strongly suggest these individuals are Antillean Short-eared Owls (juveniles), likely from Cuba (Hoffman et al. 1999; see below).  Whether such northward colonization is new to this period, or common before that (but undetected), remains unclear.

In Cuba (Garrido 1984, 1995), species expanded range and numbers substantially during the 1980s and 90s, apparently owing to increase of rice, sugar, and citrus fields – and the prey (Rattus sp, Mus sp.) that thrived in those agricultural habitats.  This rapid population increase likely drove the colonization of s. Florida by (primarily) juveniles from this population.

Asio flammeus is known from late Pleistocene deposits in Asia, Europe, Mexico, and across North America (Brodkorb 1971: 227; Guilday et al. 1977: 34; Parmalee 1977: 197; Lundelius et al. 1983: 331; Emslie 1985; 75; Alcover et al. 1992: 278; Baryshnikov and Potapova 1992: 297, 303).

Asio brevipes (Ford and Murry 1967: 116) from Hagerman, ID (Blancan North American Land Mammal Age, 3.5 million years before present) is the oldest North American fossil owl in this genus. Our understanding of owl evolutionary history is rather general at this point (Olson 1985: 129).