Typical Owls (Strigidae)
Little Owl (Athene noctua) - HBW 5, p. 225
French: Chevêche d’Athéna
German: Steinkauz
Spanish: Mochuelo Europeo
Taxonomy: Strix noctua Scopoli, 1769, Krain, Carniolia.
Probably forms superspecies with A. brama. Race lilith shown in recent studies to differ in DNA and vocal patterns, may be separate species. Many races considered probably intermediate populations or reflection of individual variation, while geographical subspecific boundaries obscure, with intergrading populations: vidalii and indigena intergrade over wide area in NW Russia; noctua intergrades with vidalii over wide area from S France E to Czech and Slovak Republics and with indigena in former Yugoslavia; indigena and vidalii int.. View all taxonomy...
Taxonomy: Strix noctua Scopoli,1769. Krain, Carniolia.
Probably forms superspecies with A. brama. Race lilith shown in recent studies to differ in DNA and vocal patterns, may be separate species. Many races considered probably intermediate populations or reflection of individual variation, while geographical subspecific boundaries obscure, with intergrading populations: vidalii and indigena intergrade over wide area in NW Russia; noctua intergrades with vidalii over wide area from S France E to Czech and Slovak Republics and with indigena in former Yugoslavia; indigena and vidalii intergrade in N Ukraine, Belarus and C Russia; lilith intergrades with saharae in Saudi Arabia and with bactriana in Iraq. Corsican and Sardinian birds perhaps warrant subspecific status (as sarda). Proposed races kessleri and caucasica synonymous with indigena; solitudinis synonymous with saharae. Thirteen subspecies recognized.
Probably forms superspecies with A. brama. Race lilith shown in recent studies to differ in DNA and vocal patterns, may be separate species. Many races considered probably intermediate populations or reflection of individual variation, while geographical subspecific boundaries obscure, with intergrading populations: vidalii and indigena intergrade over wide area in NW Russia; noctua intergrades with vidalii over wide area from S France E to Czech and Slovak Republics and with indigena in former Yugoslavia; indigena and vidalii intergrade in N Ukraine, Belarus and C Russia; lilith intergrades with saharae in Saudi Arabia and with bactriana in Iraq. Corsican and Sardinian birds perhaps warrant subspecific status (as sarda). Proposed races kessleri and caucasica synonymous with indigena; solitudinis synonymous with saharae. Thirteen subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- vidalii A. E. Brehm, 1857 - W & N Europe (S Baltic S to Iberia, including Balearic Is) E to NW Russia.
- noctua (Scopoli, 1769) - C Europe (from about S Germany) S to Sardinia and Sicily, E to Romania.
- indigena C. L. Brehm, 1855 - Albania, SE Yugoslavia, S & E Romania, S Ukraine, S Russia, Caucasus and SW Siberia, S to Crete, Turkey (except SE) and Middle East (S to Haifa).
- vidalii A. E. Brehm, 1857 - W & N Europe (S Baltic S to Iberia, including Balearic Is) E to NW Russia.
- noctua (Scopoli, 1769) - C Europe (from about S Germany) S to Sardinia and Sicily, E to Romania.
- indigena C. L. Brehm, 1855 - Albania, SE Yugoslavia, S & E Romania, S Ukraine, S Russia, Caucasus and SW Siberia, S to Crete, Turkey (except SE) and Middle East (S to Haifa).
- glaux (Savigny, 1809) - N Africa, and coastal Israel S from Haifa.
- saharae (Kleinschmidt, 1909) - N & C Sahara (S to Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad and Sudan), E discontinuously into Arabian Peninsula.
- spilogastra (Heuglin, 1869) - E Sudan, N Ethiopia.
- somaliensis Reichenow, 1905 - E Ethiopia, Somalia.
- lilith Hartert, 1913 - Cyprus, and inland Middle East from SE Turkey S to S Sinai.
- bactriana Blyth, 1847 - from SE Azerbaijan, E Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan E through C Asia to L Balkhash.
- orientalis Severetzov, 1873 - extreme NW China and adjacent Siberia.
- impasta Bangs & J. L. Peters, 1928 - Kokonor, W Gansu.
- ludlowi Stuart Baker, 1926 - SC China and S & E Tibet, S to N Himalayas.
- plumipes Swinhoe, 1870 - NE China, Mongolia and Ussuriland.
- Least Concern
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A male bird singing at sunset. La Rioja, Spain (ssp vidalii)
Dc.Owl 23 February 2008 39 weeks ago 36 sec 4.3 -
A bird hunting by day. La Rioja, Spain (ssp vidalii)
Dc.Owl 25 June 2005 39 weeks ago 35 sec 4 -
A bird resting Massa, Morocco (ssp saharae)
Eric Roualet 26 March 2006 3 years ago 12 sec 4 -
A bird perched on a bush, looking around María de Huerva, Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain (ssp vidalii)
Jesús Laborda 24 June 2007 2 years ago 33 sec 3.9 -
An adult bird arrive to the nestbox with a prey for the chicks. La Rioja, Spain (ssp vidalii)
Dc.Owl 16 June 2007 39 weeks ago 36 sec 3.8 -
An adult bird standing at the entrance of its nest in a cliff. El Burgo de Ebro, Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain (ssp vidalii)
Jesús Laborda 14 May 2008 1 year ago 38 sec 3.7
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On a rock Al Karaana Sewerage Ponds, Qatar (ssp saharae)
John A Thompson 16 July 2010 1 week ago ADDED LAST MONTH 4.5 -
In the top of a small house Oued Massa Reserve, Morocco (ssp glaux)
auf 11 February 2007 20 weeks ago 4.3 -
sitting on a wall Qatar
John A Thompson 25 May 2009 6 weeks ago 4.3 -
An individual perched and looking to a rabbit Lisboa Region, Portugal
Jose Viana 5 January 2006 50 weeks ago 4 -
Two birds looking to the camera. María de Huerva, Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain (ssp vidalii)
Jesús Laborda 6 April 2010 8 weeks ago 3.8 -
An adult and wild bird standing near a tree, from an hut Lazio, Italy
raniero massoli-no... 1 July 2005 6 weeks ago 3.7
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A bird flying past calling London, England, UK
(ssp vidalii)
Stuart Fisher 15 December 2007 1 year ago 4
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