Bird Guide

Burrowing Owl vs Little Owl

Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)

Burrowing Owl

Athene cunicularia

Medium151 gGrassland

Burrowing owls have bright eyes; their beaks can be dark yellow or gray depending on the subspecies. They lack ear tufts and have a flattened facial disc. The owls have prominent white eyebrows and a white "chin" patch which they expand and display during certain behaviors, such as a bobbing of the head when agitated. Adults have brown heads and wings with white spotting. Their chests and abdomens are white with variable brown spotting or barring, also depending on the subspecies. Juvenile owls are similar in appearance, but they lack most of the white spotting above and brown barring below.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Burrowing Owl
Recorded by Pichard Olivier · Call · Biedma Department, Chubut Province, Argentina · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Wagner Machado Carlos Lemes from Goiânia, Brazil · CC BY 2.0
Little Owl (Athene noctua)

Little Owl

Athene noctua

Medium169 gUrban

The little owl is a small owl with a flat-topped head, a plump, compact body and a short tail. The facial disc is flattened above the eyes giving the bird a frowning expression. The plumage is greyish-brown, spotted, streaked and barred with white. The underparts are pale and streaked with darker colour. It is usually 22 cm (8.7 in) in length with a wingspan of 56 cm (22 in) for both sexes, and weighs about 180 g (6.3 oz). The adult little owl of the most widespread form, the nominate A. n. noctua, is white-speckled brown above, and brown-streaked white below.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Little Owl
Recorded by Owen Camus · Uncertain · Arrondissement de Loches (near Genillé), Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire, France · CC0
Photo: Hobbyfotowiki · CC0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Burrowing Owl and Little Owl.