Nature Photographers Ltd

Long-eared Owl Asio otus L 32-35cm. Strictly nocturnal; sometimes caught in car headlights after dark or glimpsed at daytime winter roost. In flight, told from Short-eared by orange-buff patch that contrasts with otherwise dark upperwing. When alarmed, sometimes adopts upright posture with ‘ear’ tufts raised. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have streaked dark brown upperparts and paler underparts. Orange-buff facial disc is rounded; note orange eyes and long ‘ear’ tufts. Voice Deep hoots sometimes uttered in spring. Status Nests in isolated conifer plantations and scrub thickets, with adjacent open country. Disperses outside breeding season and winter roost sites include coastal and wetland scrub, and hedgerows. Influx of European birds boosts winter numbers.