Name: Long-Eared Owl (Asio Otus)
Conservation Status: Least Concern - relatively common and widespread in many areas
Population: 1,100-6,000 pairs in the UK
Origin: The United Kingdom, Europe, Asia & North America
Habitat: Forest Edges, shrublands and grasslands
Diet: Rodent specialists, they almost exclusively eat field voles! They will also eat small birds in the winter
Size: 35-37cm

The long-eared owl is one of the UK's most elusive owl species, with little known about this mysterious owl! It keeps to the cover of trees by day and flies only by night, with its migratory nature meaning it rarely stays in one place for long. Due to this it is hard to find and study, which is why it is the least known of all of Britain's native owls. It's thought that its population has been declining over the last century, but its nocturnal habitats mean it could well be under-recorded. However in other parts of the world the population of long-eared owls are thriving, even being given the local name of 'Common Owl' in some countries!

Did you Know? As you might guess from looking at them, long-eared owls have characteristic ear tufts on the top of their head, these are called plumicorns! In fact, that is what their Latin name means; the genus name, Asio, is Latin for "horned owl" and Otus is derived from Greek, meaning "small eared owl".

Photo credit: Eddie Howland