Little Owl

3 sources

Dictionary of the Bible by James Hastings (1909)

LITTLE OWL.—See Owl.

Plants and Animals of the Bible by David Cox (1970) ↑

See Owl

Aquifer Open Bible Dictionary by Mission Mutual, adapted from the Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary (2023)

The little owl (Athene noctua glaux) is the smallest owl that hunts at night. It mostly eats insects but sometimes catches small birds. It is the most common owl in the Holy Land.

The little owl often lives in quiet places like ruins, rocks, thickets (bushy areas), and around tombs. Some people think it might be the owl mentioned in Psalm 102:6.

Its call sounds like a person moaning or crying in pain. People in the past saw the little owl as wise, especially because it often sits still and stares into the distance. The ancient Greeks linked this owl with the goddess Athena.

Some Bible translations mention the little owl by name in the lists of unclean birds (Leviticus 11:17; Deuteronomy 14:16).

See also Birds; Owl.