Long-eared owl
Asio otus
Identification Tips:
- Large, nocturnal, predatory bird
- Large, rounded head with long ear tufts
- Yellow eyes
- Rusty facial disks
- Gray-brown upperparts with small black and white markings
- White underparts with black cross-shaped markings
- Sexes similar
- Often roosts in dense conifers
Similar species:
The Long-eared Owl is similar to the Great Horned Owl but has cross-shaped,
not barred, markings on the underparts and is smaller. Other species of
similarly-sized owls lack large ear tufts.