Little owl

In spite of its name, the little owl is not the smallest member of the owl family. The elf and pygmy owls are smaller than little owl. The little owl can be found throughout Europe and in parts of Asia and Africa.

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Strigiformes

Family: Strigidae

Genus: Athene

Species: Noctua

One of the smaller owls, the little owl grows to a length of just eight to nine inches (20 to 23 centimeters) and a weight of just five to seven ounces (142 to 200 grams). The little owl has a wingspan of nearly two feet (60 centimeters). Its plumage, or feathering, is grayish brown with small white spots and bars. The little owl has a large head with bright yellow eyes. The top of its head is light brown with tiny white markings, and so it looks as though salt has been sprinkled on its head.

The little owl lives throughout the open countryside of Europe, northern Africa, central Asia, and China in habitats such as farmland, orchards, palm groves, hedgerows, and rocky steppes. It spends most of its time perched on a tree, fence post, or power line.

The little owl is a carnivorous creature. This means it feeds mainly on a diet of meat. The little owl's diet includes small mammals, frogs, small birds, and invertebrates, or spineless creatures, such as beetles, moths, and earwigs. The little owl hunts mainly at dawn and at dusk, but it also feeds throughout the day and night. The little owl rests on a high perch while it observes its surroundings for possible prey. When something of interest catches the owl's eye, it swoops down from its perch and descends upon its prey. The little owl also hunts along the ground for earthworms and beetles through the leaves, twigs, and dirt. When much food is available, the little owl builds piles of food for times when food is scarce. These piles of rotting food attract flies and beetles, which the little owl also eats. Some research has shown that one little owl ate 23 earthworms in 45 minutes. Based on this study and other observations, scientists have noted that the little owl eats two to three ounces (57 to 85 grams) of food each day. This is nearly half of the owl's total body weight.

Mating season for the little owl takes place in late spring. Although the little owl is generally solitary, or lives alone, it is much more social during the breeding season. Up to 20 pairs of little owls may breed in one area. Before mating, the little owl goes through a mating ritual to attract its mate. The male little owl bobs up and down in an effort to impress the female. Both birds may sing to one another during this courtship period. The little owl may build its nest in an unlined tree hole, an unused farm building, a birdhouse, or an abandoned rabbit hole. After mating, the female lays three to five white eggs in the nest. She incubates, or warms, them with her body heat for 28 to 29 days, while the male hunts for food. When the young owls, or hatchlings, hatch from their eggs, they are covered with soft, white, downy feathers. Both parents feed the hatchlings for seven weeks and the birds fledge, or fly from the nest, around eight weeks. They can mate at one year old.

When threatened by a predator, such as the tawny owl, falcons, buzzards, and eagles, the little owl bobs up and down, jerking its head, and wagging its tail feathers.

The call of the little owl is a low, miserable "kee-oo." The little owl has a life span of between three and 15 years. They are not a threatened species.

Bibliography

“Little Owl (Athene Noctua) - British Birds.” Woodland Trust, www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/animals/birds/little-owl. Accessed 11 May 2024.

“Little Owl - Facts, Diet, Habitat, & Pictures on Animalia.bio.” Animalia, 2024, animalia.bio/little-owl?environment=1325. Accessed 11 May 2024.