Long-eared Owl

The Long-eared Owl - Asio otus is a species of owl which breeds in Europe, Asia, and North America. This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, family Strigidae, which contains most species of owl. The other grouping of owls are the barn owls, family Tytonidae.

The Long-eared Owl is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

The Long-eared Owl - Asio otus (previously: Stix otus) is a species of owl which breeds in Europe, Asia, and North America. This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, family Strigidae, which contains most species of owl. The other grouping of owls are the barn owls, family Tytonidae. More

The Long-eared Owl is found around the world in the Northern Hemisphere. In North America it is similar in color to the Great Horned Owl but is smaller, thinner and its chest bars have vertical cross streaks. Here you will find photos, recordings and a brief field notes section to help identify and enjoy this beautiful owl. A more in depth write up and range map can be found in its natural history page (the Biology link). More

Long-eared Owl Illustration Copyright More

The Long-eared Owl is a medium sized owl, 31–37 cm in length with an 86–98 cm wingspan. It has erect blackish ear-tufts, which are positioned in the center of the head. The ear-tufts are used to make the owl appear larger to other owls while perched. The female is larger in size and darker in coloration than the male. The Long-eared Owl’s brownish feathers are vertically streaked. Tarsus and toes are entirely feathered. Eye disks are also characteristic in this species. More

Long-eared owls are found throughout North America, Europe, and northern Asia. Smaller populations are also found in North and East Africa. These owls inhabit dense vegetation close to grasslands, as well as open forests, wetlands, and farmlands. Diet: Long-eared owls hunt only at night using their excellent hearing and low-light vision. More

Subspecies: The Long-eared owl is spread across the Northern Hemisphere around the world. There are two recognized races in North America (one more on the Canary Islands and one more that stretches across Eurasia to the Orient). A. o. wilsonianus is found from south central and Southeast south into the U. S. to Northern Oklahoma and Virginia. A. o. tuftsi is found from Western Canada south to Northwest Baja California and east to Western Texas. More

A bird of temperate forests, the Long-eared Owl roosts and nests in trees by day and hunts in open areas by night. Though widespread and relatively common in its range, it is rarely seen. More

Find long-eared owl information at Animal Diversity Web Long-eared owl = Asio otus What do they look like? - Mass 220 to 435 g; avg. 327.50 g (7.74 to 15.31 oz; avg. 11.53 oz) Length 35 to 40 cm (13.78 to 15. More

Long-Eared Owl Pictures, great pictures of long-eared owls in nature = Here is our collection of long-eared owl pictures. This collection is going to get larger as the weeks go by. We love long-eared owl photos and we are going to increase the number of long-eared owl pictures in this section very soon. More

Long-eared owls can be told from great horned owls by the smaller size and lack of a white throat. Also, the ear tufts of a long-eared owl are almost directly above the eyes while the great horned owl’s ear tufts are more to the side of the head. Among the owls that occur in South Dakota, the great horned owl is the largest and most powerful owl, all other owls avoid it. The long-eared owl is no exception. More

Long-eared Owls have ear openings that are very large and asymmetrically located on the side of their heads. The left ear opening is below the line of sight, behind the facial disk and looks like an upside down comma. The right ear opening is above the line of sight, tight to the edge of the facial disk and looks like a comma. More

As the American long-eared owl is now regarded as a species distinct from the European long-eared owl, it seems to me that the above name is misleading; the name American long-eared owl would be more appropriate and would indicate the distinction. Wilson and Audubon regarded the two as identical. They are evidently closely related and bear considerable resemblance to each other. More

The Long-eared Owl is about crow size, the middle-sized representative of the three types of eared owls. This owl has chestnut-brown eye disks and the "ears" are set closer together than most owls . The brown heavily mottled plumage provides excellent camouflage as the owl perches next to tree trunk. Elongating itself by compressing its feathers and holding its ears straight up the owl resembles a broken branch. More

long-eared owl's tufts are closer together on its head than the great horned owl's. Yellow eyes and a prominent facial disc with white along the middle of the face and vertical barring on the chest and belly identify the long-eared owl. The bird's feet are feathered and the immature birds resemble the adults. RANGE: The long-eared owl is distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, being found in North America, Europe, and across the Soviet Union as far east as Japan. More

The long-eared owl is medium-sized owl, smaller in size than a woodpigeon. It often looks long and thin, with head feathers (known as ear tufts even though they are not ears) which it raises when alarmed. It is buff-brown with darker brown streaks, and deep orange eyes. It breeds thinly across the UK with fewer birds in the south-west and Wales. More

Owl, but the Long-eared Owl's ear tufts are located higher on the head. Sexes have similar plumage, but females have a darker brown and deeper tan coloring. Yellow eyes with white "eyebrows" and a black bill underlined with white stand out in a facial disc of rusty tan feathers. This facial disc is a feature common to many owl species that rely on hearing to hunt, and helps direct sound to the ear. More

The Long-Eared Owl is a medium sized owl which is approximately 35 centimeters long (around 13 inches) and weighs 8-10 ounces. It is called long eared because of the tuft of feather on its head that look like ears. They do have ears, one which is fifty percent larger than the other and is higher up on the head. This helps them to hear in a special three dimensional way, that helps them to be able to hunt better in the dark. More

Long-eared Owl is plentiful in many countries of all the four quarters of the globe. In Europe it occurs in Denmark, Russia., Sweden, Norway, France, Italy, Greece, and its Islands; Turkey, Malta, Portugal, Sicily, and Spain. In Asia, in Arabia, Persia, Georgia, Palestine, Japan, China, and India, in Nepaul, Cashmere, in the low jungles near Delhi, and thence to the Punjaub. In Africa, in Egypt, Algeria, the Azores, and the Canary Islands. In this country it is generally distributed, though nowhere numerous. More

The Long-eared Owl is careless as to the situation in which its young are to be reared, and generally accommodates itself with an abandoned nest of some other bird that proves of sufficient size, whether it be high or low, in the fissure of a rock or on the ground. More

The Long-eared Owl has a large range, estimated globally at 10,000,000 square kilometers. Native to Europe, Asia, and North America and introduced to Cuba, this bird prefers forest, grassland, wetland, and shrubland ecosystems. The global population of this bird is estimated at 120,000 individuals and does not show significant signs of decline that would necessitate inclusion on the IUCN Red List. For this reason, the current evaluation status of the Long-eared Owl is Least Concern. More

Long-eared owls are barred and streaked with dark brown and rufous on their breasts and bellies. In flight they can be hard to tell from the closely related Short-eared owls, except by behavior and habitat. back to top Pictures - back to top Habitat - Long-eared Owls breed in dense coniferous or broadleaved woodlands with adjacent open areas where they hunt. More

A common and widespread species, the long-eared owl can be recognised by its orange eyes, prominent ear tufts, and rounded, buff or rufous facial disk (2) (4) 5). The plumage is a mixture of black, brown, grey, buff and white on the upperparts, and whitish-grey and buff, with dark brown streaking and barring on the underparts. The wings are long and rounded, with a buff patch on the upperwing and a dark crescent below. More

The long-eared owl lives in forests, perching in trees where its mottled brown coloring allows it to blend into the bark. The protrusions on its head that give it its name aren't really ears, but feathers. Long-eared owls are very secretive. Identification General description: This crow-sized bird of prey has big eyes, short neck, and conspicuous tufts on the top of its head. Its round face is orange with a black-and-white outlined brownish blaze down the center. More

Long-eared Owls, sitting as immobile as if frozen, on the boughs above. In Louisiana, this method has not worked. We are surrounded by a winter sea of green-vast pine forests, augmented by live oaks, broad-leaved magnolias, and other trees that do not shed foliage in fall. In our surroundings, a searcher for Long-eared Owls does not know where to begin. One perceptive Baton Rougean, however, did not have to look far. More