Short -eared Owl

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It is considered one of the rare winter visiting birds. It frequents open areas, marshes, and plains, often hunting during the day. It has large wings and resembles the great horned owl, which is only found in trees.

Among the most commonly seen owls in broad daylight, its ear tufts are very short and often invisible. One of its most distinctive features is its yellow eyes with black rims, which stare out from a pale facial disk. These birds silently roam over grasslands with broad, rounded wings, especially at dawn and dusk, using their sharp hearing to hunt small mammals and birds.

They hunt during the day, flying low over short vegetation. They flap their rounded wings with strong beats, giving their flight a buoyant, moth-like quality.

The photo is from Wadi al-Malaha in the Jordan Valley