According to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in the U.K., the long-eared owl (Asio otus, pictured) is a nocturnal owl and is so secretive, it’s rarely seen other than during migration or when leaving, or returning to, a communal roost site in winter. Its ear tufts are actually just feathers, which they raise when alarmed.
Not all owls are nocturnal, as Live Science previously reported: “During the daytime, while some owls are sleeping, the northern hawk owl (Surnia ulula) and the northern pygmy owl (Glaucidium gnoma) are hunting for meals, making them diurnal — that is, active during the daytime,” said Marc Devokaitis, a public information specialist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York.