A pair of long-eared owls were among the undoubted stars of Springwatch in 2025.
For one thing, these birds look absolutely stunning, with their impressive ear tufts (not real ears) and fiery orange eyes. For another, long-eared owls are seldom seen in the UK, let alone filmed at the nest.
Long-eared owls are exceptionally shy and difficult to find, compared to other parts of their range. Working out how many of these elusive owls there are is not for the faint-hearted, but they’re usually surveyed in late winter and early spring, when territorial pairs are most vocal – the male has a mellow baritone hoot, like the sound you make by blowing over an empty milk bottle.
In common with tawny owls, the species breeds very early in the year and the female will frequently be sitting on eggs by the end of March. Many nests are in old squirrel dreys or crow nests in the top of conifer trees in plantations, as indeed was the one filmed for Springwatch.
Top image credit: Alexey Borodin/Getty Images
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