WhenToBird

Asio flammeus · Strigidae

When Do Short-eared Owls Arrive in Hawaii?

Adult female Short-eared Owl
Photo: ewransky, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

Short-eared Owls reach Hawaii in early October, are common by the second week of October, peak in mid May (2.4% of checklists), and most are gone by early September.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakMay 15-21mid May
Most gone bySep 1-7early September

Best: mid May. First arrivals early October; most are gone by early September. Peak: on about 2.4% of Hawaii checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.0% of 5223 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.2% of 4322 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.3% of 4791 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.7% of 6113 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.7% of 4916 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.2% of 4778 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.2% of 5119 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.8% of 5246 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.8% of 4356 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.0% of 4127 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.9% of 4584 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.6% of 5941 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.9% of 3596 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.1% of 3301 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.9% of 3268 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.9% of 3732 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.0% of 2628 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.3% of 3151 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.7% of 2566 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.2% of 4054 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.1% of 2703 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.9% of 2731 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.6% of 2826 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.9% of 3671 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.9% of 2692 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.2% of 2734 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.2% of 2412 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.2% of 3581 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.1% of 2426 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.0% of 2669 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.3% of 2605 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.3% of 3159 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.1% of 2502 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.0% of 2975 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.8% of 3090 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.0% of 3424 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.1% of 2897 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.1% of 3420 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.3% of 3802 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.2% of 4531 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.2% of 3215 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.4% of 3704 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.2% of 3216 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.9% of 4153 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.2% of 3627 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.2% of 3710 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.0% of 3731 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.1% of 6597 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Hawaii that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Hawaii

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kauai CountyBest mid May · 462 checklists that week, 32,543 in all4.9%
  2. Maui CountyBest mid March · 677 checklists that week, 22,729 in all4.1%
  3. Hawaii CountyBest late May · 1640 checklists that week, 75,146 in all2.7%
  4. Honolulu CountyBest the second week of December · 685 checklists that week, 47,705 in all0.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ka'ohe State LeaseHawaii County, best the second week of June · 26 checklists that week, 1,290 in all36%
  2. Hosmer GroveMaui County, best early April · 47 checklists that week, 2,059 in all21%
  3. Hosmer Grove (Puʻunianiau)Maui County, best late March · 20 checklists that week, 402 in all17%
  4. Waiokapua BayKauai County, best early May · 27 checklists that week, 1,614 in all16%
  5. Hakalau Forest National Wildlife RefugeHawaii County, best early April · 26 checklists that week, 1,793 in all15%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Hawaii, the Short-eared Owl is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (1.9% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (66) to judge1 am: too few checklists (53) to judge2 am: too few checklists (70) to judge3 am: too few checklists (68) to judge4 am: too few checklists (106) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1548) to judge6 am: 1.1% of 10237 checklists7 am: 1.7% of 17935 checklists8 am: 2.1% of 18565 checklists9 am: 1.7% of 19076 checklists10 am: 1.2% of 18179 checklists11 am: 1.0% of 15530 checklists12 pm: 0.9% of 13069 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 12798 checklists2 pm: 1.3% of 12698 checklists3 pm: 1.3% of 12213 checklists4 pm: 1.8% of 10921 checklists5 pm: 1.8% of 9437 checklists6 pm: 2.2% of 4360 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (1028) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (316) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (182) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (110) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (50) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January1.0%1.2%1.3%1.7%
February1.7%1.2%1.2%1.8%
March1.8%2.0%1.9%1.6%
April1.9%2.1%1.9%1.9%
May2.0%2.3%2.7%2.2%
June2.1%1.9%1.6%1.9%
July1.9%1.2%1.2%1.2%
August1.1%1.0%1.3%1.3%
September1.1%1.0%0.8%1.0%
October1.1%1.1%1.3%1.2%
November1.2%1.4%1.2%0.9%
December1.2%1.2%1.0%1.1%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives early November, 4 weeks later than Hawaii
  • Alaska: arrives mid September, 2 weeks earlier than Hawaii
  • South Dakota: arrives mid October, 2 weeks later than Hawaii
  • Missouri: arrives the second week of November, 5 weeks later than Hawaii

Common questions

When do Short-eared Owls arrive in Hawaii?
Short-eared Owls reach Hawaii in early October, are common by the second week of October, peak in mid May (2.4% of checklists), and most are gone by early September.
When do Short-eared Owls leave Hawaii?
Most Short-eared Owls have left Hawaii by early September, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Short-eared Owl in Hawaii?
The Short-eared Owl is reported most often in mid May, on about 2.4% of Hawaii checklists.
Where in Hawaii are Short-eared Owls seen most often?
By county, Kauai County, Maui County, and Hawaii County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Short-eared Owl (counties with at least 200 checklists).