How can you encourage little owls to nest?

Do your bit to encourage these vulnerable birds and support their future

A reader writes: “Last year we were lucky enough to have little owls nesting in our barn. Do they return to the same place each year and is there anything we can do to encourage them, as they were delightful.”

The Field replies:

Little owls regularly return to the same nesting place and will be seen in March and April searching for a nest. (Read: Owls and where to find them in the UK).

You can buy a suitable nesting box from The Barn Owl Trust.  Put it somewhere quiet, in a barn or tree, and then keep your distance. The eggs are laid in early May, with incubation taking about 28 days. (You’ll find useful instructions for putting up your little own nesting box here.)

Fledging takes a further 26 days during which the food is at first brought by the male then later by both sexes.

Facts on little owls

• Little Owls (Athene noctua) are particularly territorial in the breeding season
• Calls include ‘kew’ ‘kew’ and a loud ‘wherrow’
• Little owls eat grasshoppers and other invertebrates such as beetles and earthworms, as well as small mammals.
• The breed is most active at dawn and dusk, and after dark
• However they can be seen basking in the sun on an exposed perch such as a telegraph pole, dead tree or isolated building.
• They are very well camouflaged in farmland and can easily be overlooked.

Read: How to create your own nature reserve

This article was originally published in 2012 and has been updated.