Marissa Rivera, Mullica Township School
Atlantic County
Long-eared owl. Atlantic County. Marissa Rivera
The Long-Eared Owl
Hello. I am called Asio otis, otherwise known as the long-eared owl. I am slender and about the size of a crow. My color ranges from orange, brown, black, gray, yellow, and irregular white, this helps me blend with the environment.
I'm found throughout North America. Our shelter is usually dense woods. Farm fields and marshes are the places where we hunt and the land we call home. Long-eared owls eat small animals such as mice, rats, and sometimes songbirds, snakes, and insects.
Using old hawk or crow nests for nesting, female owls lay about four to five white eggs. The eggs take about 25 to 30 days to hatch. Female owls rarely leave their nest, and it is the male who hunts and delivers food to the female. There are times when the parents risk their lives to protect their young.
Long-eared owls are a threatened species. It is due to clearing of their wooded habitat and development of their hunting grounds. With additional housing development and suburban sprawl, my species continues to lose our traditional roosting and nesting habitat.
Spotting my species in New Jersey is almost a thing of the past. There are many biologists who believe you cannot find me in New Jersey. It will be a very sad day for humans when Long-Eared Owls no longer call the Garden State home. Wildlife management plans that include preserving dense wooded areas and close open areas for nesting and hunting may help bring my species back from the brink. People should give a hoot, and support these plans that just might result in our continued survival in New Jersey.
Written by: Marissa Rivera
Mullica Township Public School, Elwood
Teacher: Mrs. Barbara Rheault