Two owls that rarely visit the island were spotted on Sunday near LF Wade International Airport.

The short-eared owls, which typically hunt during the day, were seen by Miguel Mejías, of the Bermuda Audubon Society, who photographed the birds.

Mr Mejías said a group of bird watchers, who travel around the island taking pictures of their sightings, were alerted by group member Michael Simmons that the owls had been sighted in the area.

He told The Royal Gazette: “It’s a migratory bird — they are quite uncommon in Bermuda.

“We can go several years without them but lately, since 2021, we’ve been spotting at least one or two at the airport.

“It depends on the weather system, because what brings these birds in are the cold fronts in the winter time.”

The birds are likely to call Bermuda home for the next three to four months, the society said.

While the owls have a “wide distribution” throughout North America, the society said they are an uncommon and scarce visitors to the island.

Dr Mejías said the species favours open pastures and grasslands, where they hunt for small rodents.

“In Bermuda it would be rats or even house mice,” he said.

Although the species may have found the right habitat, “overwintering” on an airport can be dangerous as collisions with aircraft are known to occur, the society said.

The birds can be seen from the Kindley Field baseball area near the airport, typically after about 3pm.

“Look for their butterfly-like wing beats and large size as it glides just above the grass,” the society said.