The Long-eared Owl is found in open woodlands across Canada, mainly in southern regions. It is not well monitored in Canada, but data from the Christmas Bird Count suggest that the population has shown a large decrease since about 1970. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
Habitat loss and degradation has been identified as a serious factor in declines, including loss of open woodland and pastures to urbanization and reforestation in eastern Canada, and loss of riparian woodlands in western Canada (Marks et al. 1994). However, the species has not been well-studied, and it is unclear to what extent it is affected by other threats such as collisions, sensory disturbance, changes in predator abundance, and pollution.
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.