Birds of North America

Long-eared Owl

Asio otus

Long-eared Owl,picture of Long-eared Owl

A Long-eared Owl sitting in a jack pine grove on Amherst Island in late September, near Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Life, Habitat & Picture of the Long-eared Owl

Name	B L	W W	W	Family	Latin Name
Long-eared Owl	15" 38.1cm	36" 91.44cm	9oz 255.15g	Strigidae	Asio otus

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Long-eared Owl

Written by; Bruce Di Labio

French: Hibou moyen-duc

The Long-eared Owl is widespread across North America. Despite its extensive range, it is one of the more elusive birds in the owl family. During the daylight hours, this nocturnal owl can be found dozing in cedar and spruce trees, alder thickets and mixed forest areas. What makes this bird so easy to overlook is its ability to compress its feather. This, combined with its colouration, makes it appear to be an extension of a tree limb or trunk.

The Lone-eared is a crow-sized owl, with long ear tufts usually visible at rest and a tawny face with streaked under-parts. A gregarious bird during the winter months, it can be found roosting in large numbers, thus if there is one, there are more to be found.

The Long-eared Owl usually feeds on local rodents, and depending upon the region, its diet may consist of voles, deer mice, kangaroo rats and pocket gophers, but they are also known to eat small birds, lizards and snakes.

During the breeding season, males perform an aerial display, flying in a zig-zag pattern around the nesting area, occasionally giving, loud wing claps. Nests are platform in shape and are usually situated in an old crow, magpie or hawk nest. The female lays and incubates 4-6 white eggs. The male feeds the female during incubation. Both male and female feed the young until they are fledged at about 3 months.

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