The long-eared owl is medium sized, about the size of a crow (15") and has a 3-foot wingspan. It is mottled all over with light brownish gray. The facial disks are reddish brown. It has long ear tufts that are closer together than the Great Horned Owls. The voice is soft, low moaning hoots and catlike meows. The call is heard during the breeding season, otherwise this owl is silent. Its habitat is woods and mountain forests.

The nest is an abandoned squirrel, hawk or crow's nest. The female lays 3 to 6 white eggs. It breeds in Canada's southern tier and south into the United States in California, New Mexico and Texas and into the northeast. The winter range includes the southern part of the breeding range and the U.S. southern tier.