Birdfinding.info ⇒ The North American form of the Long-eared Owl is thought to be fairly common in much of its range, but secretive and difficult to find—more so than most other North American owls, a trait that may be largely due to its status as a favored prey item of the numerous and widespread Great Horned Owl. In the birdwatching community, most known sites are kept secret out of concern for the impact of repeated disturbance. It is most readily found at winter roosts, which are often in dense stands of small conifers, including those that are planted in rows as windbreaks. With knowledge of this preference, targeted searches can be an effective way to find this widely sought-after species.
“American Long-eared Owl”
Asio otus wilsonianus
Temperate woodlands of North America.
Approximate distribution of the “American Long-eared Owl”. © Xeno-Canto 2023
Breeding. Nests in coniferous and mixed woodlands, usually in dense forest or thickets that are near open meadows, over a large portion of Canada and the western and northeastern U.S., and very locally into northern Mexico.
The northern limit of its breeding range is not well-understood. In western Canada it has been recorded nesting north to the southern Yukon and Northwest Territories (north to Fort Simpson); in central Canada north to central Manitoba, and northern Ontario; and in eastern Canada north to south-central Quebec, the Gaspé Peninsula, Prince Edward Island, and central Nova Scotia.
Southward, it breeds locally across most of the western U.S. from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast and south to northern Mexico—where there are summer records from northern Baja California, Chihuahua, and Nuevo León. East of the Rockies, it breeds across the northern tier of states south to Colorado, Nebraska, the northern Great Lakes, and in the northeastern U.S. south to West Virginia.
Nonbreeding. In winter, favored habitats shift away from forests toward semi-open land, including agricultural areas and parks, where it typically roosts socially, in flocks that number from a few birds up to a few dozen.
The winter range overlaps widely with the breeding range, but excluding most of Canada. The northern edge extends from southern British Columbia east through Montana, South Dakota, and the Great Lakes to the St. Lawrence Valley of Quebec. There are a scattered winter records farther north to southeastern Alaska, the central Prairie Provinces, and Newfoundland.
In the west, a small portion of the population moves south into Mexico, where roosting flocks have been found as far south as Durango and scattered individuals have been found recently south to Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, northern Michoacán, Mexico City, and southern Veracruz. There are historical records south to Guerrero and Oaxaca. Vagrants have strayed offshore to Isla Guadalupe.
East of the Great Plains, it winters regularly south to the Ohio River Valley and Chesapeake Bay area, rarely south to Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina, and exceptionally south to the Gulf Coast and Florida. Occasional as a fall and winter vagrant to Bermuda. There is a single historical record from Cuba in October 1932.
Identification
A medium-sized owl that usually appears proportionately thin, long-bodied, and long-winged. Its prominent ear-tufts are close-set, directly above its eyes, and are often raised in alarm. Mostly nocturnal, but sometimes active around dusk.
“American Long-eared Owl”, A. o. wilsonianus, showing a typically rusty facial disk and bright-yellow eyes. (Arapahoe County, Colorado.) © Dave Prentice
Closely resembles the “Eurasian Long-eared Owl”, although the two forms may be better regarded as separate species.
The American form differs most definitively in almost always showing pale- or bright-yellow irises, whereas the Eurasian form’s irises almost always appear orange—but can vary from yellow to red.
“American Long-eared Owl”, A. o. tuftsi, appearing atypically robust—comparable to a Great Horned Owl—due to its hunched posture. (Vancouver, British Columbia.) © Joshua Glant
The American form’s facial disk is usually rufous or chestnut, but sometimes buffy or grayish.
“American Long-eared Owl”, A. o. tuftsi, showing typically rusty facial disk and bright-yellow eyes. (Saanich, British Columbia; December 2021.) © Brian Starzomski
“American Long-eared Owl”, A. o. tuftsi, showing a whitish facial disk, more typical of the Eurasian form—but note the pale-yellow eyes. (Cariboo, British Columbia.) © Leslie Harris Jr.
Their typical plumages also differ. Both forms have mostly brown, cryptically patterned upperparts. The Eurasian form is typically paler, grayer, and more uniform overall, with less heavily marked underparts—the markings on the belly typically appear as streaks without strong cross-barring. However, both forms are highly variable and the darkest Eurasian birds show coloration and markings that would be typical of the American form.
“American Long-eared Owl”, A. o. tuftsi, with atypically buffy facial disk, and showing cryptically patterned upperparts. (Squamish, British Columbia; June 6, 2022.) © Tiffany Brunke
Facial appearance varies significantly depending on alertness and posture. When encountered in daytime, it is typically seen in its resting posture, appearing tall and thin overall, with the facial disk narrowed and creased vertically and the ear-tufts raised vertically.
“American Long-eared Owl”, A. o. wilsonianus, appearing relatively tall and thin due to its alert posture. (Cuyahoga County, Ohio.) © Toby Carlstrom
When alert and active, especially when hunting, it opens its facial disk to a more circular shape and raises feather rows around the rim—which presumably enhances its ability to locate prey by sound—often showing a bright-white border. In this posture, the ear-tufts may either be raised or lowered. (When the ear-tufts are lowered, confusion with the Short-eared Owl is sometimes possible.)
“American Long-eared Owl”, A. o. tuftsi, with its facial disk opened and ear-tufts partly flattened. (Alameda County, California.) © Aaron Maizlish
“American Long-eared Owl”, A. o. tuftsi, with its facial disk opened and ear-tufts partly flattened. (San Francisco, California.) © Matt Brady
When seen in flight, it can appear remarkably similar to a Short-eared Owl. The upperside of the wing appears mostly brown with darker bands, and typically shows buffy or rusty patches in the primaries.
“American Long-eared Owl”, A. o. wilsonianus. (Steele County, Minnesota.) © Brendan Lanpher
“American Long-eared Owl”, A. o. tuftsi, ventral view in flight. (Walla Walla, Washington.) © Christopher Lindsey
The underside of the wing is mostly pale with a prominent black crescent at the base of the primaries, and black-and-white barring on the outer primaries.
Voice. The male’s typical advertising song is a low single whoo—among the most archetypal owl calls—given at regular intervals of approximately 1 to 3 seconds:Sometimes builds in intensity:
The American form’s typical song is somewhat higher-pitched than the Eurasian’s, more emphatic, with a slight rise and fall in each hoot.
Sometimes the American’s hoots are weaker, less emphatic, and can be fairly similar to Eurasian:Sometimes they are much more strongly voiced:Females’ calls are higher-pitched, variably spaced at longer intervals (about 5 to 20 seconds), and usually given in response to the male’s song:The typical alarm call is a bark, often in short bursts, and the juvenile’s begging call is a shrill whistle—both heard in the following recordings:
Notes
Polytypic form consisting of two recognized subspecies, collectively one of two distinct forms of the Long-eared Owl (A. otus).
More Images of the “American Long-eared Owl”
“American Long-eared Owl”, A. o. wilsonianus. (Clanwilliam, Manitoba; July 10, 2022.) © Karl Kroeker
“American Long-eared Owl”, A. o. tuftsi. (Lambton, Ontario; April 7, 2021.) © Roberta Buchanan
“American Long-eared Owl”, A. o. tuftsi. (Cache County, Utah.) © Ryan O’Donnell
References
Alderfer, J., and J.L. Dunn. 2021. National Geographic Complete Birds of North America (Third Edition). National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.
BirdLife International. 2021. Asio otus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T22689507A201150685. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22689507A201150685.en. (Accessed October 17, 2023.)
eBird. 2023. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, N.Y. http://www.ebird.org. (Accessed October 17, 2023.)
Howell, S.N.G., and S. Webb. 1995. A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. Oxford University Press.
iNaturalist. 2023. https://www.inaturalist.org/. (Accessed October 17, 2023.)
Kirwan, G.M., A. Levesque, M. Oberle, and C.J. Sharpe. 2019. Birds of the West Indies. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
König, C., and F. Weick. 2008. Owls of the World (Second Edition). Yale University Press.
Mikkola, H. 2012. Owls of the World: A Photographic Guide. Firefly Books, London.
Mullarney, K., L. Svensson, D. Zetterström, and P.J. Grant. 1999. Birds of Europe. Princeton University Press.
Owl Pages. 2023. Long-eared Owl ~ Asio otus. https://www.owlpages.com/owls/species.php?s=3550. (Accessed October 17, 2023.)
Salt, W.R., and J.R. Salt. 1976. The Birds of Alberta. Hurtig Publishers, Edmonton, Alberta.
Sibley, D.A. 2014. The Sibley Guide to Birds (Second Edition). Alfred A. Knopf. New York.
The Sound Approach. 2019. Long-eared Owl, Asio otus. https://soundapproach.co.uk/species/long-eared-owl/.
Xeno-Canto. 2023. Long-eared Owl – Asio otus. https://xeno-canto.org/species/Asio-otus. (Accessed October 17, 2023.)