Long-eared owl
Asio otus · Conifer copses and scrub; communal roosts in winter
~35 cm tall · 95 cm wings
- Long-eared owl: about 350 mm tall, 950 mm wingspan, orange eyes, long ear-tufts when raised. Extremely nocturnal; gathers at communal roosts in winter. source
- The long-eared owl gives a rarely heard “hoo, hoo, hoo”, and only in the breeding season. source
- Ear tufts are not ears. They are just feathers; the real ears are on the sides of the head. source
- Long-eared owls typically lay 3–4 eggs and incubate them for about 28 days. source
- BTO: about 1,800 pairs of long-eared owls (2007–11). They are so secretive that this is hard to measure. source
- European long-eared owls come to Britain for the winter. source
- Long-eared owl: Green-listed in the UK. source
- The long-eared owl has long been the Isle of Man’s commonest owl, as it is in Ireland, where tawny owls are absent. source
- BTO: oldest ringed long-eared owl 12 years 10 months (set in 1987). source
- The long-eared owl’s first documented British record dates from 1544. source
- The long-eared owl is on Schedule 1 in Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. source
- Manx Wildlife Trust: long-eared owls are regular breeders on the Isle of Man. source
Scientific name checked against Wikipedia.
