Listen to the little owl
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the little owl
The little owl is a bird in the family Strigidae (order Strigiformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults have a wingspan of about 56 cm.
What does the little owl sound like?
Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once. Songs tend to be long and patterned and are used to hold territory and attract a mate; calls are short signals for contact, alarm and flight.
The recordings here are labelled as song, hedgehog, begging call and call. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
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.
Related birds in the genus Athene
More from the family Strigidae
Eurasian eagle-owl
Bubo bubo
Long-eared owl
Asio otus
Tawny owl
Strix aluco
Eurasian scops owl
Otus scops
Boreal owl
Aegolius funereus
Ural owl
Strix uralensis
Great horned owl
Bubo virginianus
Elf owl
Micrathene whitneyi
Barred owl
Strix varia
Brown boobook
Ninox scutulata
Oriental scops owl
Otus sunia
Frequently asked questions
What does a little owl sound like?
You can hear 3 recordings of the little owl on this page, including its song, hedgehog and begging call. Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once.
Is the little owl endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the little owl as “least concern”.
What family does the little owl belong to?
The little owl (Athene noctua) belongs to the family Strigidae in the order Strigiformes.
Sources & credits
- Hedgehog, begging call, call · Rhodes (near Lindos), Southern Aegean, Egeo, Greece by Nikolaos Sarikakis – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Song · Kekerdom, Ubbergen, Gelderland, Netherlands by Joost van Bruggen – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Song · Aljarafe (near Aznalcázar), Sevilla, Andalucía, Spain by Joost van Bruggen – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q129958 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Little owl – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Frank Vassen from Brussels, Belgium – CC BY 2.0