Long-eared owl

Long-eared Owl
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Bilateria
Branch	Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum	Chordata
Sub-phylum	Vertebrata
Infraphylum	Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Aves
Sub-class	Neornithes
Infra-class	Neoaves
Order Information
Order	Strigiformes
Family Information
Family	Strigidae
Sub-family	Striginae
Genus Information
Genus	Asio
Species Information
Species	A. otus
Population statistics
Population	2,180,000-5,540,000 est. (2015)
Conservation status	Least concern

The long-eared owl (Asio otus) is a medium-sized owl of the family Strigidae, and found in the woodlands throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere.

Description

The long-eared owl is about 12–16 inches long, with a wingspan of 34–39 inches, and weighs between 6.3–15.3 ounces. Females are larger than males. The upper plumage is a yellow rust brown to grayish-brown (females are somewhat darker), mottled with black spots and stripes. Chest and belly are a pale yellow to cream, and bearing dark vertical stripes. The facial disk is a light buff-brown to rufous-brown, with a light greyish "V" mark centered between the yellow-orange eyes, and extending downwards on either side of the beak. The brown ear tufts are set more in towards the center of the face, directly over the eyes; their length sets it immediately apart from the similar short-eared owl, with which it shares much of its range.

Subspecies

• Asio otus canariensis; Canary Islands.
• Asio otus otus; Europe, northern Africa, Azores Islands, eastward to central and northern Asia.
• Asio otus tuftsi; western North America: Canada southward to Mexico.
• Asio otus wilsonianus; eastern North America: Canada southward to Oklahoma and Virginia.