1. Canadian Wildlife Service
Proposed Listing of Short-eared Owl as Special Concern under the Species at Risk Act
In April 2008, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) assessed the status of the Short-eared Owl. COSEWIC recommended that the Short-eared Owl should be considered a species of Special Concern under the Species at Risk Act. The purpose of this presentation is to provide you with information about the proposed listing, and to give the HTO an opportunity to provide your position and any relevant information. The information you provide will be considered by the Minister of Environment, and the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, when they decide whether or not the Short-eared Owl should be listed as Special Concern.
Canadian Wildlife Service
January 2009
Doug Dance

2. Short-eared Owl
Here is a photo of a Short-eared Owl. They are about 34 to 42 cm long (13 to 16 inches).
They have small ear tufts which give them their name.
And they have large yellow eyes.
34 to 42 cm
Doug Dance

3. Annual Cycle… Arrive in Nunavut in April or May Average of 5 eggs
Drake Larsen
Arrive in Nunavut in April or May
Average of 5 eggs
Incubation for about 3 weeks
Leave Nunavut by late October
Feed on lemmings and other small mammals
Mel Wilson
Short-eared Owls arrive in Nunavut in April or May.
They build their own nest and begin laying eggs by mid-June.
They lay an average of 5 eggs.
Females incubate the eggs for 21 to 37 days
Short-eared Owls leave Nunavut by the end of October. It is not known where they winter.
They feed on lemmings and other small animals.

4. Habitat…
Short-eared Owls range all across Canada and they typically nest in open areas (like fields or tundra).
This photo was taken near a Short-eared Owl nest in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. The nest was in the patch of low shrubs.
Rian Dickson

5. Sightings of Short-Eared Owls in Nunavut (1971-2007)
Here are locations where Short-eared owls have been reported in Nunavut. The different colours just represent different years that sightings were reported. These owls seem to occur in most of mainland Nunavut, but not in the Baffin Region.

6. Proposed Status: Special Concern
Population has been declining for 40 years
23% decrease in numbers in the last 10 years
Threats:
Habitat loss on wintering grounds
Habitat loss on breeding grounds in southern Canada
Pesticide use
COSEWIC has assessed the health of the Short-eared owl population in Canada and determined it to be a species of Special Concern. Special Concern means that it is sensitive to human or natural disturbances or threats, and although the population is not declining at a rate that is high enough for the species to be considered Endangered or Threatened, listing it as Special Concern would ensure that we manage it appropriately so it doesn’t become Endangered or Threatened.
This owl has experienced a continuing population decline over the past 40 years, and the population now is 23% smaller than it was 10 years ago.  
The major cause of decline for this owl is most likely habitat loss and degradation, especially coastal marshes and grasslands further south that are used as wintering grounds, but also grasslands in southern Canada that are used as breeding grounds. Habitat loss and fragmentation affect the ability of Short-eared Owls to find good nesting areas, reduces the food available to them and can increase the amount of predation. Also, pesticides have been found in the eggs of Short-eared Owls. More research is needed to determine the effects of such pesticide contamination.
It is worthwhile to note that this species nearly meets the criteria for Threatened status. They have declined about 23% in the last 10 years. If that number had been 30% in 10 years, COSEWIC would probably have assessed this owl as Threatened.
Doug Dance

7. What are the implications of Special Concern listing?
No prohibitions
No critical habitat
Management Plan
What will it mean if Short-eared Owls are listed as Special Concern?
A national management plan will have to be prepared within 3 years of the species being listed. A management plan outlines what will be done to ensure the species doesn’t become endangered or threatened. A management plan will be written in cooperation with any interested Aboriginal organizations or Wildlife Management Boards, and it will involve all the provinces and territories that have short-eared owls. Nunavut communities will be given the opportunity to comment on the management plan.
Short-eared owls are under the management jurisdiction of the provinces and territories, although Environment Canada would play a role in ensuring that a national management plan under the Species at Risk Act is completed.
If the species is listed as Special Concern, there will be no additional restrictions on Short-eared Owls or their habitat under the Species at Risk Act. Any existing Territorial legislation would continue to apply.

8. Next Steps HTOs review consultation package
Provide their position and information to be considered in the decision about whether or not to list
CWS reports consultation results to the NWMB and to the Minister of Environment
Decision-making process on approval of the proposed listing of Short-eared Owl as Special Concern under the Species at Risk Act would begin
Here are the next steps for deciding whether or not the Short-eared Owl will be listed as Special Concern under the Species at Risk Act. First, Hunters and Trappers Organizations in Nunavut communities will review this powerpoint and the other information provided in the consultation package. HTOs will then inform the Canadian Wildlife Service whether they support, oppose, or are indifferent to the proposed listing and also provide any other information that is relevant to the proposed listing. The Canadian Wildlife Service will report the results of the HTO consultations to the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board and to the Minister of Environment, who will then consider the HTOs’ views during the process to decide whether or not to list the Short-eared Owl under Species at Risk Act.

9. Does the HTO have any concerns or information that should be considered in the decision about listing of Short-eared Owl as a species of Special Concern?
Does the HTO support, oppose or is it indifferent to the proposed listing?
The Canadian Wildlife Service wants to know your opinion about the proposed listing of the Short-eared Owl as Special Concern under the Species at Risk Act.
Do you have any information about short-eared owls that should be considered in the listing decision? Do you have any concerns about possible impacts on you, if short-eared owls are listed as Special Concern?
Please tell the Canadian Wildlife Service in writing if your HTO supports, does not support or is indifferent to the listing of the short-eared owl.
Contact Siu-Ling Han at the address on the screen to provide this information or to ask questions about the proposed listing of short-eared owls.
Please reply to:
Siu-Ling Han, Canadian Wildlife Service
Box 1741, Iqaluit, NU X0A 0H0
Tel: , Fax:
Doug Dance