Owls
Asio otus
The Long-eared Owl is a medium-sized, slender owl recognized by its prominent ear tufts, which are often held upright. This nocturnal hunter is widespread across the Northern Hemisphere but can be elusive due to its superb camouflage and secretive nature. It is known for its acute hearing, enabling it to locate prey in complete darkness.
Typical adult measurements.
Individuals and populations vary.
01 / The telltale details
Start with shape and behavior. Then look for the smaller details.
Long, closely set feather tufts on top of the head, typically erect, but flattened in flight.
Tawny-orange facial disks with white 'eyebrows' and a white patch below the bill, vertically bisected by black stripes.
Mottled grayish-brown overall, with dark streaking and barring on buff-colored underparts.
Bright yellow to golden-yellow irises.
02 / A place in the world
Long-eared Owls prefer dense vegetation for roosting and nesting, often near open grasslands, shrublands, or agricultural fields for foraging. They utilize open woodlands, forest edges, or forest patches of coniferous, deciduous, or mixed composition.
This species has an extensive breeding range across the Northern Hemisphere, including North America (southern Canada south to northern Mexico), Europe, and the Palearctic, extending east to Japan. Isolated populations also occur in northern and eastern Africa, the Azores, and the Canary Islands.
Long-eared Owls are partially migratory, with northern populations typically moving south for winter, often to southern Canada, the United States, and Mexico. They may also exhibit nomadic movements in response to prey availability.
03 / Listen a little closer
Males emit a series of low, breathy hoots, audible up to 1 kilometer away. They also have a repertoire of other calls, including barks, shrieks, whines, and meows.
04 / The life behind the feathers
Their diet consists almost entirely of small mammals, primarily voles and mice. They also occasionally consume small birds, snakes, and insects. A single pair can consume hundreds of rodents during a breeding season.
These owls hunt almost exclusively at night, often foraging low over open fields. They use their exceptional hearing to pinpoint prey, even in complete darkness, and typically kill prey by biting the back of the skull before swallowing it whole.
Long-eared Owls do not build their own nests, instead utilizing abandoned stick nests of other birds like crows, magpies, hawks, or even herons. Females lay 5-7 white eggs and perform most of the incubation.
Long-eared Owls are secretive and nocturnal. During the day, they roost in dense foliage, often close to a tree trunk, where their camouflage makes them difficult to detect. They are unusually social for owls, sometimes forming communal winter roosts of several to over a dozen individuals.
One more reason to pay attention
Long-eared Owls have asymmetrical ear openings, with one higher or more forward than the other, which helps them triangulate sounds to locate prey.
When threatened, a Long-eared Owl can elongate its body, raise its ear tufts, and compress its plumage to resemble a tree limb, enhancing its camouflage.
Long-eared Owls are known to roost communally in winter, with groups ranging from a few individuals to over 20, and occasionally up to 100.
05 / An eye for the difference
Long-eared Owls are smaller and more slender, with vertical streaking on the belly rather than horizontal barring.
While both have buff patches on the upperwings in flight, Long-eared Owls prefer forest edges, while Short-eared Owls favor open fields.
Eastern Screech-Owls are considerably smaller and stockier, with less prominent ear tufts and a different vocalization.
AI-assisted species research. Prepared September 2026. Details can vary across regions and populations.