Little Owl

How to identify

Field marks

1. Crown flat, facial disc flattened above the eyes, giving a frowning look
2. Yellow eyes and a white supercilium give a stern expression
3. Gray-brown, with white spots, streaks and barring
4. Body round and plump, tail short

Male, female and young

Sexes about the same size; juvenile darker, without the adult's white crown patches.

Voice

A complaining “kiew, kiew”; occasionally also whistles or trills.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: April–May · Most records: Spain, Portugal, United Kingdom

Little Owl has been recorded at 866 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 59 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

1. Private estate near Green MubazzarahUnited Arab Emirates2,593 records
2. Lezíria Grande de Vila Franca de Xira – área geralPortugal1,432 records
3. Lagunas de Villafáfila RNat – ÁreaSpain1,159 records

Countries and regions with the most records

SpainPortugalUnited KingdomUnited Arab EmiratesGreeceTürkiyeMoroccoChina

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The little owl (Athene noctua), also known as the owl of Athena or owl of Minerva, is a bird that inhabits much of the temperate and warmer parts of Europe, the Palearctic east to Korea, and North Africa. It was introduced into Britain at the end of the 19th century and into the South Island of New Zealand in the early 20th century.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions