Little owl

Athene noctua

A small owl with a low stance and bright golden eyes, hunting insects and small animals around farms, walls, and old buildings.

Key facts

Little owl (Athene noctua) is a carnivore animal classified as Bird · Strigiformes · Strigidae.
Primary habitats are grassland · urban · desert · forest, with a range across Palearctic · Indomalayan.
Activity is nocturnal, sociality is solitary, and conservation status is LC (Least Concern).
A small owl with a low stance and bright golden eyes, hunting insects and small animals around farms, walls, and old buildings.
Uses pasture, orchards, villages, semi-arid land, and open areas with walls, old trees, or buildings, often close to people.

Habitat range map

Native rangeOccasional / Transient

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Uses pasture, orchards, villages, semi-arid land, and open areas with walls, old trees, or buildings, often close to people.

The head is rounded without ear tufts, with golden eyes and pale brows. Brown plumage is heavily spotted white.

Mostly nocturnal but often active at dusk or by day. It runs on the ground and pounces from low perches.

Insects, earthworms, small mammals, birds, and reptiles are eaten, with insects especially important in warm seasons.

Nests are placed in tree holes, walls, buildings, and nest boxes, usually near open feeding areas.

Globally low-risk, though parts of Europe have declined as farmland changes and old trees or nest holes disappear.