Athene noctua
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
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. 22 cm long), cryptically coloured, mainly nocturnal species and is found in a range of habitats including farmland, woodland fringes, steppes and semi-deserts. It feeds on insects, earthworms, other invertebrates and small vertebrates. Males hold territories that they defend against intruders. This owl is a cavity nester, and a clutch of about four eggs is laid in spring. The female does the incubation and the male brings food to the nest, first for the female and later for the newly hatched young. As the chicks grow, both parents hunt and bring them food, and the chicks leave the nest at about seven weeks of age.
Being a common species with a wide range and large total population, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as "least concern". Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 4 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park | 🇲🇳 Mongolia | |
| 6 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Little Owl sighting in Fertő-Hanság National Park on a given day, based on 101 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 117th most-seen of the 207 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May–August and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Little Owl in Fertő-Hanság National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–April and September–November, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Little Owl sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
3rd of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Little Owl sightings, Fertő-Hanság National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Hortobágy National Park (Hungary, about 30%) and Kiskunság National Park (Hungary, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Little Owl is recorded against all the birds logged in Fertő-Hanság National Park (101 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
