The long-eared owl (Asio otus) is a nocturnal bird found across Europe, often living in farmland areas. In winter, when trees lose their leaves, these owls gather in groups and spend their days ...

In this Monday, Jan. 1, 2018 photo, a female Long-eared owl is silhouetted by a supermoon as she sits in a tree in New York’s Central Park after being treated and released.

The long-eared owl is the awkward teenager of the owl family. It seems like everything about him is gangly. He has long “ears,” long wings, a long body, and a long face.

How to spot one: At first glance, the long-eared owl might be mistaken for a great horned owl. Both have "ears," actually tufts of feathers on the top of their heads.

But the research team suspects that the function of these pigments is not necessarily related to sexual signaling. “Our study shows that female Long-eared Owls have a much higher concentration of ...

Neri recently caught a female long-eared owl, marking that marked his 10,000th capture at Whitefish Point. “I am proud to reach a milestone like that. I never thought it'd happen,” he said.

He said from 1970 to 2014 in the states and Canada the Long-eared owl population is believed to have declined by 91%. But this year, he said, the Institute is seeing record numbers.

Reference: Griffith EV, Mackentley N, Neri CM, et al. Fluorescent pigment concentration correlated with age, sex, and size in Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) plumage. Wils J Ornith. 2025. doi: ...

Long-eared Owl wing under ultraviolet light, illuminating the fluorescent pigments visible on the underside of the wing. The study, led by Emily Griffith, a PhD candidate in the Biodiversity ...