Little Owl

Athene noctua (Scopoli, 1769)

Little Owl, Athene noctua, is a widespread bird of the Palearctic and northern and north-eastern Africa, and it belongs to the owl family Strigidae. It is found across much of temperate and warmer Europe, east through the Palearctic to Korea, and in North Africa. It is a small, mainly nocturnal owl with cryptic plumage. Its habitats include farmland, woodland edges, steppes and semi-deserts. It nests in cavities, and males defend territories. The species was also introduced to Britain in the late 1800s and to New Zealand’s South Island in the early 1900s.

Order

Strigiformes

Family

Strigidae — Owls

Breeding range

Palearctic, Africa: widespread PAL and n, ne AF