Wildlife Garden DecoBird Long-eared Owl 23.5 cm hand-carved & hand-painted

At a glance

• large hand-carved and hand-painted long-eared owl
• Species: Long-eared owl (Asio otus)
• characteristic long ear tufts and alert facial expression
• detailed brown-patterned plumage
• painted by hand with water-based paint
• Dimensions: 14.0 × 10.0 × 23.5 cm
• Weight: approx. 600 g
• for indoor use
• includes booklet with information about the bird species

Product details

• Brand: Wildlife Garden
• Series: DecoBird
• Bird species: Long-eared owl
• Scientific name: Asio otus
• Item number: WG4480
• EAN: 7350054765978
• Material: hand-carved wood
• Paint: water-based paint
• Length: 14.0 cm
• Width: 10.0 cm
• Height: 23.5 cm
• Weight: approx. 600 g
• Use: indoor
• Other: booklet with information about the bird species

The owl with the striking ear tufts

With the long-eared owl, you don't have to look far for its characteristic feature. Two long feather tufts protrude clearly above its head, giving it its typical alert expression.

This is exactly the appearance Wildlife Garden has captured with its hand-carved long-eared owl. Sitting upright, with an attentive gaze and raised ear tufts, the large wooden figure has a remarkably strong presence.

Long-eared owl – Asio otus

The long-eared owl is a medium-sized owl species found in large parts of Europe, Asia, and North America.

Its striking “ears,” however, are not ears in the true sense. They are feather tufts. The actual ear openings are located on the sides of the head and are hidden in the plumage.

The ear tufts primarily contribute to the long-eared owl's characteristic appearance and can be raised to varying degrees depending on the situation.

A silent hunter

Like other owls, the long-eared owl is excellently adapted to hunting in low-light conditions. Its prey consists mainly of small mammals – Wildlife Garden specifically mentions voles.

With its very good hearing, it can locate prey even when they are barely visible in the dark.

The soft structures of its feathers also enable an extremely quiet flight – a decisive advantage during a night hunt.

It does not build its own nest

An interesting peculiarity of the long-eared owl is its breeding method. It does not normally build its own nest.

Instead, it takes over abandoned nests of other birds. Suitable older nests of larger bird species can thus become a new nesting site for a long-eared owl.

This is a nice example of how differently even closely related bird species solve the problem of nest building.

23.5 cm tall – and a solid 600 grams in weight

At 14.0 × 10.0 × 23.5 cm, the long-eared owl is one of the large DecoBirds. Its size is even more apparent in its weight: the hand-carved figure weighs around 600 g.

This figure is particularly important when buying online. In a photo, it is hard to tell how substantial a wooden figure actually is. At 600 g, you are holding something completely different than a small DecoBird weighing 40 or 50 g.

The long-eared owl therefore does not need a group of other birds around it; it works excellently as a standalone decorative object.

Hand-carved and hand-painted

Wildlife Garden has the long-eared owl hand-carved from wood and subsequently painted with water-based paints.

For this owl, the challenge lies especially in the plumage pattern. Brown, beige, gray, and darker shades combine to form the finely patterned plumage, while the head, eyes, and ear tufts define the typical expression.

Due to the artisanal production and the natural material, slight differences in wood grain, carving, and painting may occur. These are part of the individual character of each figure.

Long-eared owl, barn owl, and little owl

Especially with the larger owls, the DecoBird series shows beautifully how different this bird group actually looks.

The barn owl is immediately recognizable by its light, heart-shaped facial disk. The little owl appears small and stocky. The long-eared owl, on the other hand, has a slimmer, upright body and its unmistakable long ear tufts.

All three are clearly owls – yet each has a completely unique silhouette.

For indoor use

According to the current direction of the DecoBird series, the hand-carved long-eared owl is intended as a decorative figure for indoor use.

With a height of 23.5 cm and a weight of 600 g, it looks particularly good on a sideboard, a dresser, a larger bookshelf, or on a desk.

With information about the bird species

The DecoBird comes with a booklet containing information about the long-eared owl.

With this large figure, Wildlife Garden thus combines artisanal presentation with information about the real bird that served as a model.

My assessment

For me, the long-eared owl is definitely one of the DecoBirds that can stand alone. A height of 23.5 cm is substantial – but the 600 g says even more about what you actually get.

I find the expression particularly successful. Wildlife Garden does not need a dramatic hunting scene. The upright posture, the eyes, and especially the long ear tufts are enough for the long-eared owl to immediately grab your attention.

The comparison with the barn owl and little owl is also interesting. Anyone who always has the same image in their head when they think of an "owl" will see very clearly with these three figures how differently the individual species are actually built and colored. In my opinion, the long-eared owl is the one with the most striking silhouette.