Long-eared Owl Identification
What I look like
The Long-eared Owl is a nocturnal raptor about the size of a crow.
Its plumage is heavily mottled with shades of brown, red, white...
It easily blends with the tree bark.
Its eyes are orange.
Its beak is hooked.
It has two long "ear tufts" of feathers...
which actually have no role in hearing. The real ears are invisible on the sides of the head.
The large facial disk, formed by stiff feathers, helps to amplify sounds.
My songs, my calls
The Long-eared Owl has a mating call that can be heard from February onwards.
The male repeats a low "hoûu" sound, a very regular call, one note every 2 to 3 seconds.
It sometimes makes alarm calls "wupp".
How I behave
The Long-eared Owl is a nocturnal raptor that hunts at dusk and during the night.
It is rather solitary, but during harsh winters, they gather in roosts.
During the day, it stays upright and motionless, close to the roost.
When it is alert, it raises its two large ear tufts. If it is calm, they remain laid back.
How I reproduce
The breeding season of the Long-eared Owl extends from March to August.
It produces 1 brood per year of 3 to 6 white eggs.
It nests in trees.
Its nest is often an old nest of crows, raptors, or even squirrels...
What I eat
The Long-eared Owl primarily eats voles...
which it hunts in fields, meadows, and marshes, where the vegetation is low.
It is capable of detecting very faint sounds and locating its prey from a great distance, such as a vole moving through leaves or squeaking.
It sometimes feeds on sparrows, finches, beetles.
Where to find me
The Long-eared Owl lives in sparse forests, wooded areas, and sometimes in city and village parks.
It is a sedentary species and sometimes a short-distance migratory species.
Outside of the breeding season, it might come to the garden to sleep in coniferous trees...