Order STRIGIFORMES | Family STRIGIDAE |

© Askar Isabekov

Distribution

The Little Owl breeds mostly in the southern half of Kazakhstan, all the year round it lives on breeding areas. The detailed distribution in Kazakhstan please see in the chapter "Races".
Athene noctua Scopoli, 1769

Little Owl

Races:
Athene noctua noctua Scopoli, 1769
Athene noctua indigena C.L.Brehm, 1855
Athene noctua bactriana Blyth, 1847
Athene noctua orientalis Severtzov, 1873
Athene noctua plumipes Swinhoe, 1870

No Synonyms

Description

The Little Owl is Thrush-sized bird. Color is brownish-grey or rusty-grey with numerous white and whitish spots and streaks. Eyes are yellow, “ears” are absent. It is resembles the Boreal Owl but is distinguished by the breeding range and by habitat; has not so loose plumage therefore looks smaller; “face” is ellipse-shaped; white streaks on the head are long; toes are feathered only on base. The Little Owl may be observed in one country with the Eurasian Scops-Owl; from this bird it is distinguished by the absence of “ears” and cross pattern; by the “flat” head and ellipse-shaped “face”. Males and females are similar on color, but female is slightly larger. Juveniles more resemble adults than on other Owls; but still well distinguished by darker and plain brownish body color; streaks are faintly expressive. In September-October juveniles have the first adult plumage and are distinguished only by one contact feature: until May-June the flight feathers keep as on first plumage, they are soft and equable staled; adult birds have apparently different staled flight feathers on account of its piecemeal changing. Weight 120-220 grams, length 23-28, wing 15,6-17,7, wingspan 56-61 cm.

Biology

The Little Owl is common resident. It inhabits the sandy, clayey or stony deserts and semi-deserts with combs or dried rivers; xerophytic low mountains and chinks; forestless foothills of main ridges up to 1500-2000 m. Generally it prefers open countries; likes to sit on stones, poles, constructions; avoids of trees and shrubs. Breeds in separate pairs, not less than 0.5 km one from another. It builds the nest in cavities of precipices or rocks; between stones; in holes of rodents; tree holes; old cemetery monuments; uninhabited houses and sheep-folds; under the bridges. Clutches of 4-8 eggs in April – May. Female incubates from first egg for 28 days; male feeds it and afterwards the brood. Fledglings at the age about one month recorded from the mid-June. After the several weeks the broods break up; and juveniles begin to disperse not far from birthplace. The basic food is the rodents; in settlements it more often is mouse and rats; sometimes not less than Owl in weight. It perhaps is most brave hunter from all predators. Sitting somewhere on the prominence it wait the prey. Eats also insects, most of all the large bugs. Besides, it catches lizards and small birds. Most activity time is the evening and morning twilights. Quite often it also hunts in the afternoon. Usually in the afternoon Little Owls sit on the open prominence and barely rest. It lives in stable pairs on the own territory all the year round.

References

Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005
В.К.Рябицев. "Птицы Урала, Приуралья и Западной Сибири". Екатеринбург, Изд-во Уральского университета, 2000.
Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999.

 

Races


Little Owl( Athene noctua noctua )

Athene noctua noctua Scopoli, 1769

    Upper parts are dark brownish, darkest of all races; the dark pattern on the under parts is deep and contrast. Male wing length 152-169 (160), female 158-177 (168) mm.
    Breeds the northern part of the area between Volga and Ural rivers (southward to 49-th parallel), and Ural valley, eastward to lower reaches of Ilek river. Probably birds of this race observed in the end of July 2001 at Shortandy area.

Athene noctua indigena C.L.Brehm, 1855

    Upper parts are rusty-brown less brown, sometimes greyish tinged, lighter than on noctua. The dark pattern on under parts is slightly paler and less contrast than on noctua. Male wing length 163-170 (164), female 166-173 (168) mm.
    Breeds in the southern part of the area between Volga and Ural rivers (northward to 49-th parallel), on east to lower current of Ural valley.


Little Owl( Athene noctua bactriana )

Athene noctua bactriana Blyth, 1847

    Upper parts are light-brownish rusty tinged, lighter than on indigena. The dark pattern on under parts is paler and less contrast than on indigena and noctua. Male wing length 159-174 (166), female 159-177 (169) mm.
    Breeds from the east coast of Caspian Sea and lower valley of Ural river; to east border of Balkhash-Alakol depression, foothills of Tarbagatay ridge, Dzhungarskiy Alatau and Tien Shan. On 3 September 1980 collected on Tengiz lake.


Little Owl( Athene noctua orientalis )

Athene noctua orientalis Severtzov, 1873

    Upper parts are clay-grey, less brownish; usually lighter than on bactriana (but occasionally not distinguished from bactriana). The dark pattern on under parts is slightly more contrast than on bactriana. The white mottling of upper parts is more developed than at other races. Male wing length 165-172 (168), female 170-181 (176) mm.
    Breeds in Tien Shan, Dzhungarskiy Alatau, Tarbagatay ridges and probably foothills of Altai and Kalbinskiy Altai. A.M. Chelzov-Bebutov (1978) considers that birds recorded in Kyzyltau Mts. at south of Pavlodar region refer to this subspecies.

Athene noctua plumipes Swinhoe, 1870

    Upper parts on color are similar to bactriana and slightly darker, more brownish-grey than on orientalis. White mottling of upper parts is as on orientalis. Male wing length 158-170 (163), female 167-178 (173) mm.
    Breeds in Altai, in area of Tarbagatay ridge it presumably intergrades with orientalis.

All Photos and Videos © Isabekov & Karasyov.