Long-eared Owls are among our most charismatic owls. In much of eastern North America they are migratory winter visitors. They are highly sought after by birders, yet notoriously difficult to observe due to their extremely secretive habits.
Despite their appeal, Long-eared Owls remain one of our least-known owl species. Many details about their migrations, habitat needs, and population trends are still poorly understood. Over the past five years, WBRG has been working to fill some of these gaps.
One of our studies involves using miniaturized GPS transmitters – each weighing less than a AA battery – to learn where our winter populations of Long-eared Owls come from, what habitats they rely on, and what threats they may face throughout their annual cycles. We can proudly say this is the first study to track the long-distance movements of Long-eared Owls using GPS, providing entirely new insight into the hidden lives of one of our most mysterious owl species.
Since launching this work, these owls have revealed some remarkable things. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing some of the discoveries from this research, stories from the field, and our goals for the future.
