The Long-eared Owl (also known as the Cat Owl) likes partially open ground around the edge of woodland as it likes to roost in dense bushes but hunt over fields. It is the most widely distributed and numerous owl species in the world.
Long-eared Owls have head feathers (known as ear tufts, even though they are not ears) which they raise when alarmed to make themselves look bigger. They are light brown with darker brown streaks, have deep orange eyes and long wings. Their call is a soft, deep "hoo" similar to the sound you make when blowing across the top of a milk bottle.
They are a somewhat specialised predator, focusing their diet almost entirely on small rodents, especially voles, which often comprise most of their meals. They hunt at night by sweeping through clearings and fields in a zig-zag flying pattern, scanning the ground for any movement. Once prey is spotted, they swoop down and kill their victim on the ground by biting the back of its head. When voles are in short supply, they will eat birds and insects.
Owls do not build their own nests, but use nests built by other animals. The Long-eared Owl especially likes those built by Crows. They are unique in that they often share their roost with other Long-eared Owls. Breeding starts from February onwards. The male displays by making repeated hooting calls and bringing his wings together when flying to create a soft clapping sound. Once paired, mum and dad generally stay together for life. Mum lays and incubates 3-5 white eggs while dad supplies her with food. The eggs hatch after 28 days and the owlets beg for food using a squeaking whistle like a squeaky gate. Mum feeds the noisy chicks and dad continues to provide her with food. He may forage over two kilometres to find their favourite voles. The youngsters leave the nest after 22 days but are initially flightless, often climbing about on surrounding branches being daring. At about 35 days, they are fully fledged and can fly well, but will follow their parents around, who feed them for 2 more months until they become fully independent. In high vole years, they will have two broods.
There are about 3,500 pairs of Long-eared Owls which breed across Britain. In autumn, northern birds migrate southwards and are joined by birds from Europe to spend the winter in the UK. Southern birds mainly stay put and only move short distances to find food. With high numbers in Europe and elsewhere, Long-eared Owls are Green Listed.
Their Latin name is 'asio otus' where 'asio' is the Latin name for a type of horned owl and 'otus' is the Greek name for a horned or eared owl. The English name is also from its tufty ears, so definitely an owl with ears.