Long-eared Owl

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Long-eared Owl in the UK

Long-eared Owl is a thinly spread resident and winter visitor, and probably our most under-recorded owl. The published UK figure is 1,800 pairs, but it is best read as a minimum, because the birds are almost entirely nocturnal and very hard to census. It breeds in scattered pockets across Britain and is more numerous in Ireland, where there are no Tawny Owls to compete with. Occupied 10-km squares fell by about a fifth after the 1968-72 atlas, though patchy detection clouds the trend. Migrants from the Continent arrive in autumn, in larger numbers in hard winters. It is Green-listed in the UK.

Where and when to see a Long-eared Owl

Breeding birds use small conifer blocks, shelter belts, thorn thickets and scrub beside rough grassland. In October and November, tired migrants turn up in coastal bushes on the east coast and Northern Isles, sometimes in full view. In winter several may roost together in dense hawthorn or willow. We do not list roost or nest sites: the birds are easily disturbed and repeated flushing can make them leave. Some reserves point out a roost from a hide or a roped-off viewpoint. Ask at the visitor centre, keep your distance and do not use flash.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Conifer plantations.
Diet: Voles, mice.
Field note: Roosts in dense cover.

How to identify a Long-eared Owl

Slimmer than a Tawny Owl and about the length of a Woodpigeon, with long wings. At rest, look for long ear tufts, deep orange eyes and an orange-buff face framed in black, with a white 'X' between the eyes. An alarmed bird stretches tall and thin against a trunk with tufts raised. A relaxed bird looks rounder with the tufts flat. Dark streaks run all the way down to the belly. In flight the tufts vanish and it looks like a Short-eared Owl, but with an orange-buff patch on the upperwing, finely barred wingtips and no white trailing edge.

Call and song

Quiet for most of the year. From late winter the male gives a low, soft 'hoo' every two or three seconds, which is easy to miss. In June and July hungry young call through the night with a squeak like an unoiled gate hinge. That sound is the easiest way to find the species. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• Short-eared Owl: Short-eared Owl has yellow eyes set in black, streaking that stops at the breast, a white trailing edge to the wing, and hunts by day over open ground.
• Tawny Owl: Tawny Owl is bulkier with a big round head, black eyes and no ear tufts.

Related guide UK raptors and owls.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the Long-eared Owl is a Rare tier bird, worth +8 points when you log one. It is not on the Red or Amber lists in Birds of Conservation Concern 5.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Short-eared OwlUncommon · Moorland
• Common CrossbillUncommon · Conifer plantations
• Arctic RedpollRare · Birch
• Black GrouseRare · Moorland fringe
• GoldcrestCommon · Conifer woodland
• Golden PheasantEpic · Dense conifer woods (rare)

Long-eared Owl: quick answers

Where can I see a Long-eared Owl in the UK?

The realistic options are a signposted winter roost on a nature reserve, or a migrant resting in bushes on the east coast in late autumn. Local bird clubs and reserve sightings boards mention roosts when viewing is safe for the birds. Never push into cover to look for one.

Is the Long-eared Owl rare in the UK?

It is scarce and local, and it is also hard to find, which makes it seem scarcer than it is. Many pairs go unnoticed for years in ordinary farmland copses and plantations. Most birders see far fewer of them than Short-eared or Tawny Owls.

What does a Long-eared Owl eat?

Mainly Field Voles, with mice, shrews and small birds making up the rest. It hunts after dark, flying low over rough grassland and along hedges and listening for prey. In winter it will take finches and sparrows from their roosts.

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