Birds
Long-eared owl
Asio otus
The long-eared owl is a slender nocturnal raptor with long, erect ear-tufts and orange eyes. Cryptic and secretive, by day it roosts motionless against tree trunks, almost invisible among the branches.
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In short
The long-eared owl (Asio otus) is a species with IUCN conservation status LC (Least concern). It hunts over open country, meadows and woodland edges, but nests in woods and hedgerows, often in old crow nests. Animals in Black offers a fine-art portrait of it on a black background, available as a print on Hahnemühle paper: view the print.
Habitat & conservation
Where does the long-eared owl live?
It hunts over open country, meadows and woodland edges, but nests in woods and hedgerows, often in old crow nests. In winter it may gather in communal roosts, with many birds in a single tree.
Is the long-eared owl endangered?
The IUCN Red List rates it Least Concern (LC) with a stable population and very wide range. Numbers fluctuate in step with the cycles of the rodents it feeds on.
Facts about the long-eared owl
- The long tufts are not ears but feathers for display and camouflage.
- In winter it forms communal roosts of dozens of birds.
- Its numbers track the boom-and-bust cycles of rodents.
Data source: IUCN Red List — Asio otus (Least Concern) · BirdLife International
RED List
Conservation status codes
- EX Extinct No individuals survive.
- EW Extinct in the wild Survives only in captivity.
- CR Critically endangered Extremely high risk of extinction.
- EN Endangered Very high risk of extinction.
- VU Vulnerable High risk of extinction.
- NT Near threatened Likely to become threatened soon.
- LC Least concern Low risk of extinction.
- DD Data deficient Not enough data to assess.
- NE Not evaluated Not yet assessed by the IUCN.