Asio otus
Silhouette: hedera.baltica · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The long-eared owl (Asio otus), 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.
This owl prefers semi-open habitats, particularly woodland edge, as they to roost and nest within dense stands of wood but prefer to hunt over open ground. The long-eared owl primarily hunts small rodents, especially voles, but during population cycles of their regular prey, or in arid, insular, or urbanized habitats, it takes diverse prey including birds and insects. The long-eared owl utilizes nests built by other animals, in particular by corvids. Breeding success in this species is correlated with prey populations and predation risks. Unlike many owls, long-eared owls are not strongly territorial or sedentary. They are partially migratory or nomadic. Another characteristic of this species is its partiality for regular roosts shared by a number of long-eared owls at once. The long-eared owl is one of the most widely distributed and most numerous owl species in the world, and due to its very broad range and numbers it is considered a least concern species by the IUCN. Nonetheless, strong declines have been detected for this owl in several parts of its range. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 7 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 8 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 9 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 10 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 11 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 12 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 13 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Turin | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 2 | Rostov-on-Don | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 3 | Bishkek | 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan | |
| 4 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 5 | Hamburg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Almaty | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | |
| 7 | Jerusalem | 🇮🇱 Israel | |
| 8 | Saint Petersburg | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 9 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Bucharest | 🇷🇴 Romania |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Long-eared Owl sighting in Kiskunság National Park on a given day, based on 80 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 146th most-seen of the 222 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and April
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Long-eared Owl in Kiskunság National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to September, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Long-eared Owl sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 13 parks where we can rate Long-eared Owl sightings, Kiskunság National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Death Valley National Park (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Long-eared Owl is recorded against all the birds logged in Kiskunság National Park (80 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
