Little Owls
Little owls (Athene noctua) are one of the world's smallest owls (about 21–27 cm in length). Introduced to Britain in 1842, they are chunky, brown-and-white mottled birds. The numbers of Little owls increased after their introduction, but reportedly, not so much to threaten other native species (unlike similar species introductions at the time e.g. the Grey squirrel). According to the RSPB, sadly their numbers have been in serious decline since the mid 1990's.
They can be active during the day, albeit they remain mostly nocturnal. In this instance, this couple were particularly active throughout the day as they foraged for food for their newly hatched chicks (the nest being in the large oak tree that serves as a background to many of these images). Their diet is mainly insects, although they have been known to eat bigger prey.
Male and female Little owls have a significant degree of overlap in their appearance and this makes sexing the birds very difficult. Some sources advise that behaviour can be used to help indicate sex, with the male birds being reportedly more active when foraging for food when chicks are young. However, according to the Field Guide for Scottish Raptor Monitoring Little owls can not be reliable sexed in the field.
Little owls have a distinctive compact body, rounded head (no ear tufts), large yellow eyes, and a heavy white brow that gives them a slightly "concerned" look. They remind me of the birds used in the old iPad game Angry Birds.
They can be active during the day, albeit they remain mostly nocturnal. In this instance, this couple were particularly active throughout the day as they foraged for food for their newly hatched chicks (the nest being in the large oak tree that serves as a background to many of these images). Their diet is mainly insects, although they have been known to eat bigger prey.
Male and female Little owls have a significant degree of overlap in their appearance and this makes sexing the birds very difficult. Some sources advise that behaviour can be used to help indicate sex, with the male birds being reportedly more active when foraging for food when chicks are young. However, according to the Field Guide for Scottish Raptor Monitoring Little owls can not be reliable sexed in the field.
Little owls have a distinctive compact body, rounded head (no ear tufts), large yellow eyes, and a heavy white brow that gives them a slightly "concerned" look. They remind me of the birds used in the old iPad game Angry Birds.
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