A medium-sized owl with deep yellow eyes, a dark-rimmed facial mask and small “ear” tufts. Its brownish-buff upperparts and buff mottled with brown underparts can make it difficult to see on fallow ground. It nests on the ground in cereals or in marshy vegetation. It feeds on voles or mice, sometimes hunting together with harriers. In Extremadura it is usually seen in the winter, although a few breeding records exist.