Long-eared Owl

Long-eared Owl	Both Sexes Rich-buff brown with darker streaking and ear tufts.
Asio otus
Length: 35 cm (14")
Wing Span: 84-95 cm (34-38")
Weight: 210-330 g (7½-11¾ oz)
Breeding Pairs: 1100-3600
Present: All Year
Status: Green

Description

The Long-eared Owl is smaller than a Tawny Owl but often looks tall and thin when roosting.

Males and females look alike and are predominantly buff-brown with darker brown streaks. The belly is paler with bold streaking and the tail feathers are finely barred. Their eyes are a deep orange, surrounded by golden-buff coloured facial disk feathers, and the hooked bill is blackish. The legs and feet are feathered.

The prominent "ear tufts" are simply feathers that it can raise when alert and have nothing to do with its hearing.

In flight, the undersides of the rounded wings are rather pale looking with a dark carpal patch (about half way along the leading edge of the wing). The wings are longer than a Tawny Owl's and the wing beat deeper and slower - often flapping a few times and then gliding.

Long-eared Owls are nocturnal and rarely seen in the daytime. The best time to see them is in the winter, when you may stumble across them roosting in a bush or tree (they often form communal roosts consisting of several birds).

Roosting

Close-up

Voice

	Song	Female Call
	Quicktime mp3	Quicktime mp3

The male's song is a moaning "hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo" and the call of the female is a nasal hoot; both are usually heard at night.

Feeding

The Long-eared Owl's prey includes small mammals, like mice and voles, and small birds.

Nesting

Long-eared Owls breed in woodland and often nest in an old crow's nest. The eggs are laid on alternate days. The female incubates the eggs, which are smooth, white and about 40 mm x 33 mm.

Only the hen feeds the young with food brought by the male. If food is in short supply, the parents feed the oldest (and biggest) chick and the younger ones die and become food for the surviving chick.

Movements

The resident breeding birds are joined by up to 35 000 migrants from northern Europe in the winter.

Conservation

Long-eared Owl numbers are cyclical, increasing when rodents are prevalent, and at the moment their numbers are declining. They may also have lost ground to the increasing numbers of Tawny Owl.

My Garden

These owls have not been seen or heard around our garden.

Further Reading

"Owls", Whittet Books (details)