Birds Active at night

Long-eared Owl

Asio otus

iNaturalist eBird Wikipedia

With its striking orange eyes and dramatic feather 'ears,' the Long-eared Owl is the phantom of the forest edge. Masterfully camouflaged and deeply secretive, this nocturnal hunter is a prize find for any backyard wildlife enthusiast.

5 Sightings

1 Habitats

Quick Identification

straighten

Size

Length: 35-40 cm (14-16 in); Wingspan: 90-100 cm (35-39 in); Weight: 220-435 g (7.8-15.3 oz)

palette

Colors

Mottled brown and gray upperparts with buff-orange facial discs. Buff-colored underparts with dark vertical streaks and horizontal barring. Intense orange or yellow eyes.

visibility

Key Features

Long, prominent vertical ear tufts set close together
Bright orange-buff facial discs with white 'X' between eyes
Deep vertical streaking on chest and belly
Slender body compared to other large owls

When You’ll See Them

schedule

Activity pattern Active at night

brightness_5

Peak hours 9 PM - 4 AM

calendar_month

Season Winter (for communal roosting) or Spring (for nesting calls)

restaurant

Diet Primary diet consists of small rodents, particularly voles, mice, and shrews. They are agile aerial hunters that fly low over open fields and meadows, using their acute hearing to locate prey beneath snow or vegetation before swooping down for a silent strike.

park

Habitat Coniferous or deciduous groves adjacent to open grasslands, shrublands, or agricultural fields.

public Geographic range

Where Does the Long-eared Owl Live?

The Long-eared Owl claims a massive native territory spanning the temperate regions of North America, Europe, and Asia. In the Western Hemisphere, their core range extends from southern Canada across the majority of the United States, while across the Atlantic, they are found from the British Isles and Scandinavia through Russia and into northern China and Japan. While many populations remain resident year-round, northernmost breeders are known to migrate south during harsh winters to find more accessible prey.

Basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors

10 Countries

28.5M km² Range

Least Concern Conservation

US United States CA Canada GB United Kingdom Russia CN China FR France DE Germany JP Japan MX Mexico IT Italy

eco

iNaturalist / Verified observation data

View on iNaturalist open_in_new

Explore more Birds arrow_forward

Behavior

The Long-eared Owl is a master of camouflage and one of the most secretive raptors in the Northern Hemisphere. During the day, they sit motionless in dense foliage, stretching their bodies and narrowing their eyes to mimic a broken tree branch. Unlike many other solitary owls, they are remarkably social during the winter, often forming communal roosts in thick evergreen stands where dozens of individuals may huddle together for warmth and safety.

While they are strictly nocturnal hunters, their presence is often revealed by their low, hooting calls during the breeding season. They are generally shy around humans and will stay perfectly still until an intruder is nearly upon them. If a human approaches too closely to a nest, adults may perform a 'distraction display,' feigning injury to lure the threat away—a behavior more common in ground-nesting birds than forest owls.

photo_camera EverydayEarth exclusive

Camera Tips

Capturing a Long-eared Owl on camera requires a strategic focus on 'edge' habitats. These owls spend their days in dense cover but hunt in open spaces. Position your camera at the transition zone where a thicket of evergreens or dense brush meets an open field. Aim the lens toward a prominent, low-hanging branch—roughly 5 to 8 feet off the ground—that offers a clear view of the clearing. This is where they often perch to scan for movement before diving for a vole.

Since these owls are strictly nocturnal, a camera with high-quality infrared (IR) or 'no-glow' flash is essential. Standard white flashes will spook them and likely prevent them from returning to that spot. Set your camera to 'Burst Mode' or 'Photo + Video' to increase your chances of catching the owl's distinctive silhouette in motion. Because they are light on their feet and silent in flight, set your PIR (Passive Infrared) sensor to its highest sensitivity to ensure the shutter is triggered by their body heat as they land or take off.

While we don't recommend using live bait, you can attract their attention by enhancing the habitat for their natural prey. A small brush pile or a patch of unmowed tall grass near your camera site will naturally attract mice and voles, which in turn brings the owls. If you are tracking a known winter roost, place your camera on a nearby tree facing the roosting grove from at least 20 feet away to avoid disturbing them; they are highly sensitive to human presence and may abandon a site if they feel watched.

Winter is the best time for high-volume captures because of their communal roosting habits. Look for 'whitewash' (droppings) and pellets at the base of dense conifers to find their favorite perches. During the spring, move your setup toward more open hunting grounds or the margins of wetlands. Always ensure the camera is mounted securely, as winter winds in open fields can cause false triggers or blurry images if the mount is unstable.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Long-eared Owl.

Great Horned Owl

Much larger and bulkier with yellow eyes and wider-set ear tufts.

Short-eared Owl

Often hunts during the day; has very tiny ear tufts and a different facial disc pattern.

Browse all Birds arrow_forward

Frequently Asked Questions

Long-eared Owls are almost exclusively nocturnal. They typically begin hunting shortly after complete darkness falls and remain active until just before dawn. Unlike the Short-eared Owl, they are rarely seen flying during daylight hours unless they have been disturbed from their roost.

The best way to attract them is to provide dense cover and a healthy prey base. Plant thick evergreens or conifers like pines and cedars, which provide essential daytime roosting spots. Additionally, leaving a portion of your lawn as a 'wild meadow' with tall grass will attract the voles and mice they hunt.

Their diet is highly specialized, consisting almost entirely of small mammals. Voles are their primary food source, but they also eat deer mice, pocket mice, and occasionally small birds or large insects. They hunt by flying low over open ground, using their exceptional hearing to pinpoint prey.

They are less common in high-density suburbs than Great Horned Owls or Screech Owls, as they prefer larger tracts of open hunting land. However, they can be found in suburban fringes, parks, and cemeteries that offer dense evergreen groves adjacent to fields or golf courses.

The Long-eared Owl is much smaller and more slender. Its ear tufts are closer together on the top of the head, whereas the Great Horned Owl's tufts are set wider apart. Additionally, Long-eared Owls have vertical streaks on their bellies, while Great Horned Owls have horizontal barring.

Record Long-eared Owl at your habitat

Connect a camera to start building your own species record — AI identifies every visitor automatically.

Join free Identify a photo