The species breeds in the northern United States and Canada in mid-April. The 4 to 5 glossy, white eggs are laid on alternate days. Incubation begins when the first egg is laid and lasts 25 to 30 days. The female usually incubates the eggs. Nestlings are covered with a soft, thick, white down that extends to the claws.
Males bring food to the nest and females feed the young.
The young leave the nest after 23 to 24 days, but are unable to fly until they are about 34 days old. They are also affected by the decline in suitable nest sites, predation and the decrease in prey abundance. In Connecticut, because of changing land use practices and the decline in farming, fields have either been overtaken by development or they have reverted to forests. Open areas and fields are used extensively by voles and mice and are thus heavily hunted by long-eared owls. Populations began to decline around 1900.