little owl

American

Also owlet

noun

a small, European owl, Athene noctua, often portrayed in art with the goddess Athena.

little owl British

noun

a small Old World owl, Athene noctua, having a speckled brown plumage and flattish head

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of little owl

First recorded in 1550–60

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

little owl

"We don't just rescue people. We've done dogs before, a horse before, seals, all sorts. We're all living creatures, and it's nice to help the little owl on his way."

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

This delightful Christmas tale is the true story of a little owl dubbed Rockefeller.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 9, 2021

Soon neighbours started calling round with all manner of injured birds, and for several years Zalasiewicz shared his bedroom with a little owl and a kestrel.

From The Guardian ● May 30, 2019

Don’t let its cuteness fool you: the little owl from this viral video is actually a fearsome, rodent-eating predator.

From National Geographic ● Jul. 27, 2015

Addison padded over to the little owl, who was perched on a branch nearby.

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023