The little duke

The little owl, a tiny owl

The little owl is a tiny owl about the size of a large blackbird. This one, an Ardéchois, is a young bird that has just fledged. Its egrets are not visible when it flattens them and its plumage looks like bark. This is a camouflage technique.

The Petit Duc at Mas de la Fontenette

It is very common in the Ardèche. You’ll hear it singing every night at the Mas de la Fontenette holiday cottage in the Gorges de l’Ardèche. It even comes to drink at night in the pond next to our infinity pool in Labastide de Virac (near Vallon Pont d’Arc), where it tries to catch frogs.

The life span of the little owl is 6 years. It is migratory and spends its winters in the southernmost parts of Europe and in sub-Saharan regions. It feeds mainly on insects.

To nest, it chooses a hollow tree or a hole in a wall, but it can just as easily take over an old magpie’s nest or a nesting box. The eggs are laid between May and June. The young remain in the nest for just over three weeks; they fly properly at 30 days, but the parents continue to feed them for another 4 to 6 weeks.

The population of Little Owls is declining at an alarming rate. The cause is the decline in its prey due to the use of pesticides. The scops owl is fully protected in France. For more information on this bird of prey, visit the Oiseaux.net website.