📸 PhotoPhoto: Frank Vassen from Brussels, Belgium · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Little Owl
Athene noctua (Little Owl · コキンメフクロウ)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its average weight of 164 g is roughly the weight of three eggs.
- 💡 By eating large numbers of insects and small mammals, it helps control agricultural pests, though populations have declined sharply in parts of Europe (ADW).
- 💡 Its call is noted for resembling the mewing of a cat or the cry of a newborn baby (National List of Species of Korea).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
Site-computed relative index from recorded values; not a formal scientific metric.
📖 1. Overview
The Little Owl is one of the smallest owls, living not in deep forests but in open places near villages, cliffs, and old trees. It is largely sedentary.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
In winter plumage, the male has greyish-buff upperparts, fine spots on the crown, a white chin, and dark vertical streaks on the belly. The bill is yellow, females are slightly larger than males, and despite its small size it can tackle prey close to its own weight.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It preys on small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects, watching from a perch before pouncing on the ground or flying low. It nests in cavities, laying 3–7 eggs per clutch and incubating them for 26–28 days; its voice is said to sound like a cat or a human infant.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
In the National List of Species of Korea, it is recorded as occurring from central Korea northward.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List LC (2019) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22689328/155470112
- • IUCN Red List category LC — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • doi.org — avilist.v2026
- • iucnredlist.org — 155470112
- • 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000001866 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000001866
- • wikidata.org — Q129958
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Athene noctua, Ambula, Montenegro 1.jpg
- • animaldiversity.org — Athene noctua
- • species.nibr.go.kr — mainHome.do
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Ferran Sayol · CC0 1.0
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.