Long-eared Owl

Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) is a medium-sized mottled owl with long narrow ear tufts, orange eyes and a well-defined facial disc. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It roosts and nests in dense woodland but hunts mainly over nearby open ground, flying low for voles and other small rodents and often gathering at communal winter roosts. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant or visitor (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).