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