Description:

Medium-sized owl with large, round head and conspicuous ear tufts. From Short-eared at rest by erect ear-tufts, orange-brown coloration to facial discs, orange (rather than yellow) eyes, greyish (rather than buff) background coloration to upperparts, and more heavily streaked belly and flanks.

Distribution:

Scarce summer visitor to the central areas of Gilgit-Baltistan, mainly Shigar, Gilgit and Ghizer. Occasional breeding in coniferous forest, usually dense vegetation adjacent to open areas such as grassland or shrubland. From lowland to 2900m.

Behavior:

Nocturnal; occasionally crepuscular, usually during breeding. Hunts below canopy in open forest, but most often over open fields, pastures and shrub lands; active-search hunter. Mainly feeds on small mammals; birds also important. Voles dominate diet in many areas, but in more arid environments mice and heteromyids predominate; switch to birds following heavy snowfall.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Long-eared Owl in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of Long-eared Owl

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.