This bird of prey inhabits mainly the northern hemisphere of our planet. Its habitat extends from Latin America to Egypt, India, South China, Pakistan, including all of Western Europe and Asia.
A long-eared owl has a rather slender physique. Females are usually much larger than males. The body length of the bird is about 40 centimeters, and its wingspan is more than 100 cm. The tail of the owl is long. When the animal is in a sitting position, its large rounded wings folded on its back overlap each other. The head of an owl is large, slightly elongated. The black ears are very large, and the skin folds bordering them are highly developed. However, when flying birds, they are practically not guilty. The eyes of the animal are bright orange with large black pupils. The long-eared owl has a light brown color with vertical stripes. There are small white spots under the beak and above the eyebrows, due to which the facial disc appears lighter than the body. The belly of the bird has a red or yellowish tint. The coloring of females is richer and darker than males. Newborn owl chicks have a rare light fluff, which is replaced by a soft, loose plumage by ten weeks.
Bird can be found in open forests bordering fields and meadows, as well as in wetlands and taiga.
The animal hunts at night on open plains. However, during the nesting period, the bird may go hunting before sunset. A long-eared owl is an active predator. She pursues her prey, guided by the sounds made by the victim. What do owls eat? The basis of their diet is vole mice, ground squirrels and other all kinds of rodents. They rarely hunt snakes, small birds, and insects.
Owl is a monogamous bird. In winter, from February, the mating season begins. The male makes certain sounds resembling a song with which he calls the female, after which he circled his chosen one, demonstrating his beauty. Then he sits down on a branch, where he begins to pick up and spread his wings. This is followed by the mating process, which usually lasts no more than three seconds. After mating games, birds clean each other feathers on their heads.
An eared owl nests in trees, settling in abandoned nests of other birds of prey or pigeons. In April, before starting to lay eggs, the female examines several nests and selects one of them. The incubation period lasts 28 days, after which it lays three to ten eggs. At this time, the male is engaged in the extraction of food for the female. 21 days after the birth of young offspring leaves the nest. The chicks are not yet able to fly on their own, so they spend all their time on neighboring branches. The young flights make the first flights after the onset of 35 days of age. In July, owl chicks finally leave the nest and begin to lead an independent lifestyle. The period of sexual activity in these animals begins with one year.
Long-eared owl - silent bird. Most often, her voice can be heard in early spring - a dull hoot, whining and screaming and whistling come from the forest. The bird is able to be aggressive only when defending the nest. In all other cases, it is quite peaceful. An owl can allow a person to come at a distance of at least two meters. In winter, some birds migrate to warmer countries over fairly long distances. However, many of them do not leave the borders of their breeding territory.
Long-eared owls are birds useful in agriculture. Gathering in large flocks, they are able to destroy a large number of harmful rodents in gardens, currents and threshing floors. Also, this bird of prey exterminates shrews, moles and all kinds of harmful insects.
That is why a long-eared owl needs protection and protection from the state.