Short-eared Owl, Asio flammeus, is a species of nocturnal bird of prey found in cropland, grassland, heathland and shrub and wetland ecosystems. It is is a widespread but patchily distributed breeder across much of Europe. The species occupies open country such as, tundra, marsh, grassland, moorland, as well as montane forest. In Europe, this species breeds mainly on tundra, moorland, marshes and bogs, in newly cleared forest and young evergreen plantations, in uncultivated grassland and in steppe (European Red List 2015).

Asio flammeus has a breeding population size of 2200-22500 pairs and a breeding range size of 568000 square kilometres in the EU27. The breeding population trend in the EU27 is Fluctuating in the short term and Decreasing in the long term.

The EU population status of Asio flammeus was assessed as Secure, because the species does not meet any of the IUCN Red List criteria for threatened or Near Threatened, or the criteria for Depleted or Declining (the EU27 population or range has not declined by 20% or more since 1980).