Overview
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.
This owl is a member of the typical or true owl family Strigidae, which contains most species of owl, the other grouping being the barn owls, Tytonidae. It is a small (approx.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Countries
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Andorra
- Armenia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Chad
- China
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Djibouti
- Egypt
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Georgia
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- India
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kosovo
- Kyrgyzstan
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Libya
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Niger
- North Macedonia
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palestine
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Romania
- Russia
- San Marino
- Saudi Arabia
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Somalia
- Spain
- Sudan
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Syria
- Tajikistan
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- Uzbekistan
- Western Sahara
- Yemen
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Little owl
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.