Long-eared Owl

Asio otus

The long-eared owl, also known as the northern long-eared owl or informally as the lesser horned owl or cat owl, is a medium-sized typical owl with an extensive range. The genus name, Asio, is Latin for "horned owl", and the specific epithet, otus, is derived from Greek and refers to a small eared owl. It breeds in Europe and the Palearctic, as well as in North America. Source

Where it is now

In the last 8 weeks this bird was recorded 26,597 times across 99 areas (each area is a 5 degree square).

See the Long-eared Owl on the live map

Movement and weather

Each season it is first heard regularly where daytime highs are around 22°C (typically 15 to 27°C, from 25 areas). That range is wide, so temperature alone does not explain when it turns up.

Over the weeks it was present in the past year, its centre in Europe ranged from 46°N in January to 63°N in March, about 1,900 km apart.

Arrival dates

The week it was first heard regularly in each region, after at least six weeks away. Dates differ from south to north, so a region has a range.

Download every area as CSV

Figures are effort corrected and come from automatic sound identification, which makes mistakes. How this is measured and how it compares with human observers.