Long-eared Owl Sounds

Overview
ID info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

Song (American)
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Washington, April 20, 1990Recorded by Dave Herr / Macaulay Library
Calls (American)
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South Dakota, April 14, 2007Recorded by Gerrit Vyn / Macaulay Library
Alarm calls (American)
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Oregon, June 13, 1993Recorded by Dave Herr / Macaulay Library
Juvenile calls (American)
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Vermont, June 21, 2005Recorded by Matthew D. Medler / Macaulay Library
Calls (Eurasian)
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Buryatia, June 17, 2017Recorded by Andrew Spencer / Macaulay Library
Alarm calls (Eurasian)
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Buryatia, June 17, 2017Recorded by Andrew Spencer / Macaulay Library
Begging calls (Eurasian)
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Buryatia, June 17, 2017Recorded by Andrew Spencer / Macaulay Library

Sounds provided by Macaulay Library.
Listen to more sounds of this species from the ML archive.

Songs

Long-eared Owls are silent most of the year, but during breeding season they draw on a complex repertoire analogous to a songbird’s song. Males give a series of 10 to more than 200 whoo notes evenly spaced about 2–4 seconds apart. This deep and forceful utterance, akin to the sound made by blowing across the lip of a very large bottle, can be heard more than half a mile away.

Calls

The female’s nest call is higher pitched than the male’s advertising song, and richer in harmonics; it sounds more like a bleating lamb, or like blowing through a comb and paper. Both sexes utter a variety of alarm calls, including barks, squeals, and a gruff, catlike mew.

Other Sounds

Perturbed owls snap their mandibles together, producing a loud pop. During courtship and at other times, both sexes clap their wings together below the body during flight, to produce a whiplike sound.