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Little Owl (Athene noctua) — photo 1 of 4
© Artemy Voikhansky CC BY-SA 4.0

Owls

Little Owl

Athene noctua

Voice

Alarm

GESHORS Yann

0:03

Call

GESHORS Yann

0:55

Song

Joost van Bruggen

0:07

How to recognize it

  • 22 cm, like a thrush; compact body, short tail

  • Light brown back, white eyebrows, yellow eyes

  • White underparts with brown streaks

  • Low "kiew-kiew" call, often heard at dusk

About the species

The Little Owl looks small and sturdy, with a large head and a rather stern expression. In daytime, it may sit out in the open, especially near old buildings or trees.

It is usually secretive, but its voice often gives it away — especially in the breeding season, when it calls more at night. It hunts mostly from a perch and often drops to the ground to chase prey.

It uses places around houses, outbuildings, villages, gardens, steppes, and dry open ground with cover. It eats small rodents, insects, lizards, and earthworms, and can store extra food. In many areas it stays year-round.

Where to find

  • Around old stone buildings, attics and wall cracks — Little Owl often waits on a ledge at dusk and calls sharply into the dark.

  • On the edge of neighborhoods with orchards, lawns and low trees — it hunts from a low perch, then drops to the ground after mice or beetles.

  • By bridges, ruins and retaining walls with gaps and crevices — in daytime it may sit in plain sight, blending into the masonry.

  • On vacant lots and gravelly courtyards — listen for its rough calls from piles of stones or old burrows.

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Sources