
Thursday 15 February
The World's Favourite Unloved Species 2018 - the Galapagos Racer
Kingdom | Animalia |
Phylum | Chordata |
Class | Aves |
Order | Strigiformes |
Family | Strigidae |
Genus | Athene (1) |
The little owl is a diminutive species, which possesses a plump, round body, bright yellow eyes and spotted plumage. There are thirteen recognised subspecies of little owl which differ in size and colouration, but typically exhibit plumages in various shades of grey-brown, rufous-brown and yellowish-brown. The body and head bear extensive white markings, appearing as spots on the wings, back and head, and broader splashes of white on the breast. The juvenile is paler and more uniformly patterned than the adult, with buff, rather than white, spotting. When advertising for a mate, the male little owl produces a mellow hoot, “gooek”, which rises in pitch. In addition, both sexes also give a repeated loud “hoo” call (2).
One of the most diurnal species of owl, in some parts of its range the little owl often hunts during the day (5). Like most owls, however, it is also commonly active between dusk and dawn, and is generally encountered perched on post, tree or telegraph wire, scanning the ground for prey. It feeds upon a variety of small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, beetles, crickets, earwigs and earthworms. Insects are particularly favoured, and may form up to 98 percent of this species’ diet in the Mediterranean. Prey is mostly caught by swooping down from a perch, with larger animals snatched with the feet and smaller victims taken using the bill. Surprisingly, given the typically carnivorous diet of owls, the little owl also seems to deliberately take some plant material, such as grasses and other leaves, and occasionally small fruits, berries and maize. Food is sometimes hoarded by this species, with some caches containing as many as 30 items for later consumption (2).
The little owl breeds between March and August, and forms monogamous pairs, which remain together for at least a year and possibly until one of the birds dies. The nest is constructed within a hollow cavity, which is scraped out and cleaned before a clutch of three to six eggs is laid within. Both incubation of the eggs, which takes between 28 and 33 days, and brooding of the chicks, which lasts for a further 14 days, are performed by the female, while the male supplies food. After brooding, both parent birds supply food for the chicks, which may begin to explore outside the nest in the surrounding vegetation. At around 30 to 35 days old the chicks become fully fledged, but continue to be provided with food for a further month. The little owl often returns to the same nesting site, with some nests in Britain being reused for over 25 years (2).
The little owl has an extremely large range, comprising a broad band extending from western Europe and north-west Africa east to Mongolia, China and Vietnam. The southern limits of this species’ range extend as far as The Arabian Peninsula and the horn of Africa, while its northern limits extend as far as Latvia (1) (2). The little owl has been introduced in many areas, historically in Britain, and more recently to New Zealand (3) (4).
Occupying a variety of semi-open habitats, the little owl can be found in steppe, stony desert, farmland, open woodland and urban areas. While mainly occupying temperate environments, this species does also occur in tropical regions, and may be found from sea level to elevations of 3,000 metres, and exceptionally to 4,600 metres (2) (3).
A common and widespread species (2), in 2009 the little owl’s population was estimated at between 5,000,000 and 15,000,000 individuals (6). Nevertheless, in parts of Europe, as a result of industrialised farming practices removing food sources, loss of habitat, road-traffic deaths and deliberate persecution, this species is considered to be undergoing a moderate decline (2) (7).
Although the little owl does not require large-scale conservation action, nest boxes have been provided in some parts of its range to replace natural nesting sites that have been destroyed (2).
To learn more about owl conservation visit:
For more information on this and other bird species please see:
Image credit
© Ogun Caglayan Turkay
Ogun Caglayan Turkay
ogunturkay@gmail.com
http://www.ogunturkay.com
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This species is featured in Jewels of the UAE, which showcases biodiversity found in the United Arab Emirates in association with the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi.
Thursday 15 February
The World's Favourite Unloved Species 2018 - the Galapagos Racer
Thursday 01 February
Thursday 01 February