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Long-eared Owl

Asio otusOrder: STRIGIFORMESFamily: True Owls (Strigidae)
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Family True Owl (Strigidae)_blue
Species Asio otus
Length13 - 16 Inches
Wingspan39 Inches

Long-eared Owl

Long-eared Owl: Medium-sized owl with gray-brown body with pale bars and heavy streaks on underparts. The facial disc is rufous with white a patch below the bill. The ear tufts are close together, long, black and rufous, and are not visible in flight. Bouyant, mothlike flight with silent wing beats.

● Song: "hoo-hoo-hoo", "whek-WHEK-shek"

● Foraging & Feeding: Long-eared Owl: Eats mice, moles, ground squirrels, small birds, small snakes, and insects. An active hunter suspected of capturing most of its prey by sound due to its ability to locate mice in complete darkness; most prey is captured on the ground or in low vegetation.

● Breeding & nesting: Long-eared Owl: Two to ten white eggs are laid in an abandoned stick or cavity nest; occasionally builds its own nest. Female incubates eggs for 26 to 28 days.

● Similar species: Long-eared Owl: Great-Horned Owl is much larger, stouter, and has wider-spaced ear tufts. Short-Eared Owl lacks rufous in facial disc and has shorter ear tufts.

Flight Pattern

Silent wing beats., Bouyant flight.
Long-eared Owl Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Long-eared Owl: Occurs throughout the northern hemisphere. Preferred habitats include dense vegetation close to grasslands or shrublands, as well as open forests.
BreedingMonogamous
PopulationUncommon to locally common
MigrationNorthern birds migrate
Weight8.6 Ounces