Long-eared owl
Did you know? The large ear tufts are not actually ears, they are simply feathers and have no connection with hearing.
Statistics
Long-eared owls have a body length of 35cm and a wingspan of 90-100cm. They weigh between 250-300g.
Physical Description
They have long, feathered ears and mottled brown-coloured plumage. Females are darker and much larger than the males. The colour of their eyes vary according to the region - they are yellow or golden brown in North America, and orange in Eurasia.
Distribution
In the UK, long-eared owls are thinly scattered all over Britain and Ireland as breeding birds. Globally, they are present throughout the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere in conifer forests, but will nest in any available woodland areas. They also inhabit North America, Asia and North West Africa.
Behaviour
The owls form pair-bonds in winter, involving courtship where the male advertises with songs and a zigzagging aerial display. The female responds by crouching with drooped wings.
Breeding occurs between March and June.The female lays 3 to 6 eggs, often in an old crow's nest, and incubates them for 27 to 28 days. Occasionally, they make their own nest in an old tree stump or on the ground. Roosts of up to 100 individuals have been reported outside of the breeding season.
This is the most nocturnal of British birds, and hunts small mammals and occasionally birds, at night and dusk.
Conservation status
Long-eared owls are not listed in the 2000 IUCN Red List, and populations are generally stable, although numbers in the UK have declined owing to habitat destruction. There are probably about 5,000 pairs breeding across Britain and Ireland.
Voice
The territorial call of the male is a long drawn out hoo hoo hoo hoo that is repeated every few seconds. The female has a soft shoo shoo, which fades softly. When threatened, they use two alarm calls
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