Range

The Long-eared Owl is present throughout the boreal and temperate regions of the northen hemisphere.
Their preferred habitat is conifer forest, but they are by no means confined to these and will nest in any available wooded area.
They have even been known, in severe weather, to frequent suburban gardens, preying on various small birds and rodents.

Diet

Their main food is voles, field mice, and various small birds. They also occasionally take larger mammals up to the size of squirrels, rats and moles.

Voice

The territorial call of the male Long-eared Owl is a long, drawn out, quavering hoo hoo hoo hoo repeated every few seconds.
The female call is a soft shoo shoo which fades away softly like a heavy sigh.

Status and behaviour in the wild

The Long-eared owl is probably one of the most ancient of bird species, appearing to have changed little in more than 36 million years.
It is a strictly nocturnal bird except in the extreme north of its range, where it will hunt at dawn and dusk.
In hunting the bird flies low and slow over open ground, taking its prey in a shallow glide or sometimes stalling and dropping directly onto it.
The Long-eared Owl typically takes over an old crow's nest, where it lays 3-8 eggs which it incubates for 27-28 days. Fledging takes place after about 30 days, and independence after about 60 days

What are the ear tufts for?

One thing is sure - they are not an aid to hearing.

In common with all owls, the Long-eared Owl has assymetric forward-facing ears. In the case of the Long-eard Owl, the right ear is up to 50% larger than the left, and higher in the head. The effect of this is to give a three-dimensional sound-picture the way stereoscopic vision gives a three-dimensional visual picture. This allows the bird to hunt accurately by hearing alone, in the darkness.

The ear tufts form an important part of the body-language of owls, expressing emotion by their attitude in the same way a cat does with its ears, or a cockatoo with its crest.