Long-eared Owl

The Long-eared Owl is a medium-sized, remarkably slim owl best known for its tall, closely spaced ear tufts, which give it a startled, cat-like expression. It is a master of camouflage, roosting motionless against tree trunks where its streaked, mottled plumage blends seamlessly with bark and foliage.

Adults have rich tawny-orange facial discs bordered in black, intricately patterned brown, buff, and gray upperparts, and heavily streaked underparts. When alarmed, the owl compresses its body and raises its ear tufts, becoming almost impossible to spot at rest.

Highly secretive and largely nocturnal, this species is far more often heard than seen, and communal winter roosts of a dozen or more birds are a well-known phenomenon among birders.

Key Field Marks

• Long, vertical ear tufts set close together near the center of the crown
• Orange facial disc bordered by a dark rim
• Slim body with vertically streaked underparts
• Orange patches at the base of the primaries visible in flight

Similar Species

• Great Horned Owl is much bulkier with widely spaced ear tufts and a white throat patch; Long-eared Owl is noticeably slimmer with closer-set tufts.
• Short-eared Owl has very short, often invisible ear tufts, pale yellow eyes, and hunts in open flight over fields by day, unlike the strictly nocturnal, woodland-roosting Long-eared Owl.
• Roosting Long-eared Owls appear extremely thin and elongated compared to other owls of similar size.

This owl favors dense stands of conifers or thick shrubby woodland for daytime roosting and nesting, typically adjacent to open grassland, meadow, or agricultural fields used for hunting. It occurs across much of North America, Europe, and Asia in the Northern Hemisphere.

Northern populations are migratory and often gather at traditional winter roost sites in thickets, sometimes with many individuals using the same trees for weeks at a time, while southern populations may be resident.

Behavior

Strictly nocturnal, Long-eared Owls roost by day pressed close to tree trunks, elongating their bodies and raising ear tufts to resemble a broken branch. Outside the breeding season they are notably social for owls, forming communal winter roosts.

Voice

The male's advertising call is a low, breathy, evenly spaced "hoo... hoo... hoo," repeated at intervals and audible mainly at night. Both sexes also give a range of barking, whining, and cat-like mewing calls near the nest.

Feeding

They hunt almost exclusively over open ground at night, coursing low with buoyant, silent flight and relying heavily on hearing to locate voles and other small mammals hidden in vegetation.

Nesting & Breeding

Long-eared Owls do not build their own nests, instead taking over old stick nests built by crows, hawks, or magpies in dense trees. Clutches usually contain 4-6 eggs, and the female alone incubates while the male provisions her with food.