Afghanistan (P), Albania (B), Algeria, Andorra (B) (NB), Armenia (B), Austria (B) (NB), Azerbaijan (B) (NB), Belarus (B) (NB), Belgium (B) (NB), Bosnia and Herzegovina (B), Bulgaria (B) (NB), Canada (B) (NB), China (mainland) (B), Croatia (Local Name: Hrvatska) (B) (NB), Cyprus (B) (NB), Czech Republic (B) (NB), Denmark (B) (NB) (P), Egypt, Estonia (B) (NB), Faroe Islands (NB), Finland (B) (NB) (P), France (B) (NB) (P), Georgia (B), Germany (B) (NB), Greece (B) (NB) (P), Hungary (B) (NB), India (B), Iran [Islamic Republic of] (NB), Iraq (B) (NB), Ireland (B) (NB), Israel (B), Italy (B) (NB), Japan (B), Jordan (NB) (P), Kazakhstan (B), Kyrgyzstan (B), Latvia (B) (NB), Lebanon (NB) (P), Liechtenstein (B) (NB), Lithuania (B) (NB), Luxembourg (B) (NB), Macedonia [The Former Yugoslav Republic of] (B) (NB), Malta, Mexico, Republic of Moldova (B) (NB), Mongolia (B), Montenegro (B) (NB), Morocco, Netherlands (B) (NB), North Korea, Norway (B), Pakistan (B), Palestinian Authority Territories (NB), Poland (B), Portugal (B) (NB), Romania (B) (NB), Russia (Asian) (B), Russia (Central Asian) (B), Russia (European) (B), Serbia (B) (NB), Slovakia (Slovak Republic) (B) (NB), Slovenia (B) (NB), South Korea, Spain (B) (NB), Sweden (B) (NB), Switzerland (B) (NB), Syrian Arab Republic (NB), Taiwan (China), Tajikistan (B), Tunisia, Turkey (B) (NB), Turkmenistan (B), Ukraine (B) (NB), United Arab Emirates (NB), United Kingdom (B) (NB), USA (B), Uzbekistan (B).
Vagrant to Bermuda, Bhutan, Cuba, Gibraltar, Hong Kong (China), Iceland, Kuwait (NB), Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman (NB) (P), Qatar (NB), Saudi Arabia (NB), St Pierre and Miquelon (NB) (P), Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands.
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Population
Estimated population is 1,500,000 - 5,000,000 (2011).
Long-eared Owl (Asio) [XC727150]
by Stanislas Wroza from Blixbo, Falun Municipality, Dalarnas l\u00e4n, Sweden (begging call)
Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) [XC793284]
by Dominique Guillerme from Chassey, C\u00f4te-d'Or, Bourgogne-Franche-Comt\u00e9, France (call)
Nest
In an old tree nest, usually that of crows.
Eggs (Guide)
3 - 5; smooth, slightly glossy, white. Incubation: about 27 - 28 days; by female.
Subspecies
Northern Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) and African Long-eared Owl (Asio abyssinicus) (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) are retained as separate species contra Cramp (1985) and Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993) who include abyssinicus as a subspecies of Northern Long-eared Owl (Asio otus).
Forms superspecies with African Long-eared Owl (Asio abyssinicus) and Madagascar Long-eared Owl (Asio madagascariensis), both of which have been treated as subspecies of this species. Recent protein studies indicate unusually large genetic distance between this species and Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus). Given nomadic tendencies of species, subspecific status of tuftsi questionable, possibly inseparable from wilsonianus.
The following 4 subspecies are recognised:
otus (Linnaeus, 1758) - Eurasia, from British Is and Iberia east to Sea of Okhotsk, south to Mediterranean islands, Middle East, northern Pakistan (has bred) and Japan, with isolated population in east-central China. Also Azores, and north-western Africa (Morocco to north-western Tunisia).
canariensis Madarász, 1901 - Canary Is.
tuftsi Godfrey, 1948 - Western Canada (southern Yukon, southern British Columbia east to Saskatchewan) south to Mexico (north-western Baja California, Nuevo Leon) and southern USA (western Texas).
wilsonianus (Lesson, R, 1830) - From south-central and south-eastern Canada (Manitoba east to Nova Scotia) southern in USA to northern Oklahoma and Virginia.
The Reader's Digest Book of British Birds 1980, 3rd Edition, Drive Publications Ltd ISBN 0 340 25308 8
Birds in Colour Campbell, B., 1960, Penguin Books Ltd
The Pocket Guide to Nest and Eggs Fitter, R.S.R., 1954, Collins
RSPB Handbook of British Birds Holden, P., Cleeves, T., 2002, A & C Black ISBN 0 7136 5713 8
Birds of Britain and Europe Sterry, P., et al., 2001, AA Publishing ISBN 0 7495 3068 5
The Popular Handbook of British Birds Hollom, P.A.D., 1973, H.F. & G. Witherby Ltd ISBN 0 85493 002 7
BirdLife International Species Factsheet