Pueo: The Hawaiian Short Eared Owl

Endangered and found no where else in the world, the Pueo, or Hawaiian Short Eared Owl) is beautiful in the wild. Unlike most owls, pueo are day flyers and can be seen over open spaces like meadows and shrublands, where they hunt introduced rodents and small mongoose. Look for them at dusk and dawn. This subspecies of the American short-eared owl has striking bright gold eyes and a streaked, buffy brown and white body, and feathered legs.

Before people introduced rodents and mongoose to Hawaiʻi, pueo hunted other birds.