Scientific name: Aegolius funereus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Bird group: Owls
Field characters. 25 cm. Resembles Little Owl, but plumage more brown than grey, head larger, and with larger and differently shaped facial disc. Face white with eyebrows going up (not frowning as in Little Owl), upperparts brown with many large white spots. Underparts white with dark blotches. Eyes yellow. Juvenile dark reddish brown. Flight straight, not undulating. Mainly nocturnal.
Voice. Full, quick and rising 'poo-poo-poo-poo- poo-poo'.
Distribution. Resident. Population follows prey fluctuations. In north, common in good mouse-years, but very scarce in others.
Habitat. Mainly pine and coniferous forest, less in mixed forests.
Food. Voles, also mice and birds.