WhenToBird

Asio flammeus · Strigidae

When Do Short-eared Owls Arrive in Wisconsin?

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

Short-eared Owls are winter birds in Wisconsin: they arrive in early November, peak in the second week of January (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakJan 8-14the second week of January
Most gone byFeb 22-28late February

Best: the second week of January. First arrivals early November; most are gone by late February. Peak: on about 1.1% of Wisconsin checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 1.3% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.0% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.8% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.8% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.7% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.3% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.5% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.3% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.2% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.2% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.2% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.4% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.5% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.7% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.6% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.7% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.8% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.8% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.6% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.8% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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.

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Where in Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Calumet CountyBest late November · 155 checklists that week, 12,359 in all25%
  2. Adams CountyBest early December · 45 checklists that week, 5,946 in all8.1%
  3. Langlade CountyBest mid January · 66 checklists that week, 5,023 in all3.8%
  4. Winnebago CountyBest the second week of January · 408 checklists that week, 26,460 in all3.8%
  5. Iowa CountyBest late November · 241 checklists that week, 18,836 in all3.3%
  6. Portage CountyBest early December · 441 checklists that week, 32,201 in all3.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Killsnake Wildlife AreaCalumet County, best mid November · 25 checklists that week, 572 in all77%
  2. Paradise Valley Wildlife AreaWaukesha County, best late December · 51 checklists that week, 848 in all58%
  3. Story Creek Streambank Protection AreaDane County, best early January · 48 checklists that week, 535 in all49%
  4. Rat River Wildlife AreaWinnebago County, best early January · 40 checklists that week, 528 in all44%
  5. Ozaukee County Waterfowl Production AreaOzaukee County, best early January · 32 checklists that week, 467 in all34%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the Short-eared Owl is most often listed on checklists started between 3 and 5 pm (1.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 0.1% of 27016 checklists6 am: 0.2% of 83973 checklists7 am: 0.1% of 160717 checklists8 am: 0.1% of 160531 checklists9 am: 0.1% of 136968 checklists10 am: 0.1% of 119110 checklists11 am: 0.1% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 0.1% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 0.9% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 1.6% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 0.3% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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
January1.3%1.0%0.8%0.8%
February0.7%0.5%0.3%0.5%
March0.3%0.2%0.1%0.2%
April0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0%0%
July0.1%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.2%0.4%
November0.5%0.7%0.6%0.7%
December0.8%0.8%0.6%0.8%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives mid October, 2 weeks earlier than Wisconsin
  • Iowa: arrives the second week of November, 1 week later than Wisconsin
  • Michigan: arrives the second week of November, 1 week later than Wisconsin
  • Indiana: arrives the second week of November, 1 week later than Wisconsin

Common questions

When do Short-eared Owls arrive in Wisconsin?
Short-eared Owls are winter birds in Wisconsin: they arrive in early November, peak in the second week of January (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.
When do Short-eared Owls leave Wisconsin?
Most Short-eared Owls have left Wisconsin by late February, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Short-eared Owl in Wisconsin?
The Short-eared Owl is reported most often in the second week of January, on about 1.1% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are Short-eared Owls seen most often?
By county, Calumet County, Adams County, and Langlade County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Short-eared Owl (counties with at least 200 checklists).