Page 246 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

OWLS
Order Strigiformes Family Strigidae Species Athene noctua
Little Owl dark crown with broad
small white spots
head
flattish white
eyebrows
shortish, round large, pale yellow eye,
wings, barred brown circled with black
and cream
cream-buff
spots on liver-
brown back

complex
IN FLIGHT
wavy streaks
on pale
underside
idespread in Europe,
Wand long established after
introduction in Great Britain, the
Little Owl is small, chunky, flat-
headed, and short-tailed. It can
appear very round when perched
out in the open by day, but may FLIGHT: distinctive bounding, undulating action
stretch upwards to look more with bursts of quick wingbeats between downward
elongated when alarmed. It swoops; sweeps upwards to perch.
hunts at dusk but sometimes
perches quite openly in daylight, often attracting SQUAT SILHOUETTE
A rounded, short-tailed, thin-
the noisy attention of small birds. Its undulating legged shape on a post or branch
flight may briefly recall a woodpecker or large at dusk is likely to be a Little Owl.
thrush. In much of Europe, it lives in ruins and old
barns with tiled roofs, or on hillsides with boulders
and stones scattered over the slopes.
VOICE Loud, musical, plaintive calls, rising keeeooo,
sharper werro!, short kip kip kip.
NESTING In long, narrow hole in tree, bank, or
building; 2–5 eggs; 1 brood; May–July.
FEEDING Mostly takes small rodents and large
insects from ground; also picks small birds and
earthworms from ground.
OCCURRENCE
SIMILAR SPECIES Widespread resident through
Europe north to Great Britain and
SCOPS OWL TAWNY OWL SHORT-EARED OWL Baltic. In great variety of terrain,
different see p.239 see p.243
habitat and on open rocky slopes and islands,
behaviour; dark eye much farmland and parkland with old
see p.245 larger trees and outbuildings, and even
much long semi-desert areas with tumbled
larger wings rocks and cliffs.
slim body;
sharp ear Seen in the UK
tufts J F M A M JJ A S O N D
Length 21–23cm (8 1 ⁄2–9in) Wingspan 50–56cm (20–22in) Weight 140–200g (5–7oz)
Social Family groups Lifespan Up to 10 years Status Declining
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