Recoveries by Condition for Long-eared Owl

Currently protected species in Europe. Most encounters are obtained after the 1970s. C & W Europe hold the bulk of encounters (ca. 35 and 34% respectively), considerable amount of them also in N Europe (19%). The encounters mainly come from May-Jun (ca. 26%) and Oct (13%), most ringed birds are juveniles.

The share of encounters based on dead birds changed little until 1991 (72-83%), then decreased to 47% after 1991. Those obtained due to shooting markedly decreased over time – from 18% pre-1960 to less than one percent after 1991. The encounters based on alive birds considerably increased from ca. 7% pre-1960 to 42%, mostly due to ringing encounters. Traffic is outlined as one of the most important negative factors after 1961 (15-16% of all cases).

Annual Movements for Long-eared Owl

In N Europe breeders, post-breeding dispersal lasts from late Jul to early Sep, later replaced by autumn movements till Oct-Nov. Their wintering grounds in W & C Europe are reached as early as Aug-Sep, but in most cases – in Oct-Nov. Return movements to the breeding sites take place in Mar-Apr; some encounters of birds still present in late May on their C European wintering grounds indicate possible late migration to the northernmost populations.

Most birds breeding in E Europe show similar timing in their migratory movements towards W Europe, however, their routes follow E – W direction.

Those birds from the W European breeders which migrate are encountered in SW Europe mostly Nov-Mar, S to N Spain.

Birds from the Icelandic population have been encountered in UK between Nov and May.

Connectivity by Month by Region for Long-eared Owl

Longest-distance movements are performed by the populations in N and E Europe. Birds breeding in N European breeding population start their post-breeding dispersal from mid- to late summer, the autumn migration lasting in most cases until mid- to late autumn. They are encountered at their wintering grounds in W & C Europe from late summer, most often – in mid- to late autumn. Return migration to the breeding grounds is evident mainly early- to mid-spring, but sometimes lasting until late spring.

Three distinguished passage waves have been recorded during autumn migration along the Polish Baltic coast, the adults migrating earlier and the immatures – most numerous in the second and third wave (Michalonek et al. 2009). Uneven sex ratios have been recorded in migrating and wintering birds in W & N Europe (Overskaug, Kristiansen, 1994; Erritzøe, Fuller, 1999; Wernham et al. 2002).