Night Birds of the Czech Republic: Owl Identification Quiz and Species Guide

🦉 Identification quiz: night birds of Czechia

Test yourself at three levels of difficulty – from basic species identification to details of biology and ecology. Every correct answer brings an educational fact about the night life of Czech birds.

A guide to the night birds of Czech forests and countryside

The Czech Republic is home to several regularly breeding species of owls and other nocturnally active birds. Each of them occupies a different environment, has a different voice and a different hunting strategy. Once you learn to recognise their silhouettes and calls, a night walk in the forest becomes an amazing experience.

Tawny owl – Strix aluco

The tawny owl is by far our most common and widespread owl – it lives from the lowlands up to mountain forests above 1,000 m and has readily settled in towns too, where an old park with mature trees is all it needs. Its medium size (body length 37–43 cm), robust build and round head without feather "ear tufts" distinguish it from its relative, the long-eared owl. Its colouring is very variable: there is a grey and a rufous-brown colour morph as well as intermediate forms, always perfectly camouflaged against tree bark.

The tawny owl hunts at night and at dusk, and it can catch a mouse even in near-total darkness – it relies on its hearing, whose precision is fascinating. Its food includes small rodents, but also smaller birds, frogs and earthworms. Its characteristic call – a descending, multi-syllable "hoo-hoo-hooo" – starts later in the evening than that of any other Czech owl, usually not until after ten o'clock. The female answers with a piercing "ke-wick".

The tawny owl does not build a nest – it occupies natural hollows in old trees or nest boxes. That is why keeping hollow trees in forests and parks is key to its survival. Decorative wooden owl motifs, such as AMADEA's handmade wooden decorations, draw inspiration from this mysterious bird of Czech forests.

Eurasian eagle-owl – Bubo bubo

The Eurasian eagle-owl is Europe's largest owl and a true king of the night. It reaches up to 75 cm in length with a wingspan of over 170 cm and a weight of up to 4 kg. Its home is rocky ravines, steep wooded slopes and abandoned quarries – especially in the border mountains of Bohemia, in Moravia and in the Beskids. It is unmistakable thanks to its striking orange eyes and prominent feather "ears" (tufts of feathers on top of its head).

The eagle-owl calls at night with a loud, deep "oo-hoo" – its courtship call can be heard up to 3 km away. It eats everything from rodents and hedgehogs to hares; even cases of it catching a small dog have been documented. Several hundred pairs breed in the Czech Republic, and the population is gradually recovering after historical persecution by humans.

It nests directly on the ground under rock overhangs or in shallow caves. Courtship takes place from January to March – that is when the eagle-owl is easiest to hear on walks at dusk. If the world of nocturnal predators fascinates you, take a look at our wooden owl puzzles – an original gift for every naturalist.

Barn owl – Tyto alba

The barn owl is perhaps the most beautiful Czech owl – its pale, almost white underparts and characteristic heart-shaped facial disc make it unmistakable. Its Czech name "sova pálená" ("burnt owl") comes from the golden ochre on its back, which looks as if it has been tanned. Unlike the other owls, it belongs to a separate family, Tytonidae.

The barn owl is tied to human settlements – it nests in church towers, belfries and the lofts of barns and old buildings. Sadly, it is one of the rarest and fastest-declining species in the Czech Republic: sealed-off towers, pesticides in its food and collisions with cars are decimating the population. Its voice is completely different from that of other owls – instead of hooting, it gives piercing, hissing screeches.

Installing special nest boxes in church towers helps preserve the remaining populations. It is an example of how nature and human buildings can benefit each other – just as traditional woodcraft connects nature and people in everyday life.

Long-eared owl – Asio otus

The long-eared owl is a medium-sized owl (35–37 cm long) with conspicuous feather tufts on top of its head, which gave it its name – in reality, however, they are not ears, just ornamental tufts of feathers. Its eyes are orange to yellow, and its back is brown with dark streaks, resembling pine bark.

The long-eared owl lives on forest edges, in copses and tree lines in open farmland, where it hunts voles and mice on meadows and fields. It is inconspicuous at the nest – it takes over old nests of crows or magpies. Its winter lifestyle is fascinating: in the cold months, long-eared owls gather at communal roosts, sometimes numbering dozens of birds, and sleep together in dense vegetation.

The long-eared owl's call – a deep "oo, oo, oo" repeated rhythmically like a metronome – is best heard in spring during courtship, shortly after dark. Unlike the tawny owl, the long-eared owl prefers open countryside and fields, where today it suffers from a lack of food as a result of intensive farming.

Boreal (Tengmalm's) owl – Aegolius funereus

The boreal owl is a smaller owl (24–26 cm long) of mountain coniferous forests. In the Czech Republic it is found mainly in the Šumava, the Krkonoše, the Jeseníky and the Beskids, where it nests in spruce hollows and nest boxes. It is characterised by yellow eyes, a white facial disc with prominent dark edges and densely feathered legs, which gave it its Czech name "rousný" ("feather-legged").

The boreal owl's call is a monotonous series of equally loud syllables, "poo-poo-poo", heard on clear spring nights. At dusk, the boreal owl is the second Czech owl to start calling – after the pygmy owl and before the eagle-owl. Fortunately, its population in the Czech Republic has been growing in recent years and spreading to lower altitudes.

The boreal owl is strongly tied to natural or semi-natural cavities – without woodpeckers, which excavate the cavities, it could not survive. Owl monitoring in the Jeseníky brings valuable data on the state of the population every year; in 2025 alone, 19 boreal owls were recorded in the Jeseníky Protected Landscape Area.

Eurasian pygmy owl – Glaucidium passerinum

The Eurasian pygmy owl is our smallest owl – it is no bigger than a sparrow (15–19 cm long, weighing around 60 g). Yet it is a brave and active predator: it hunts small birds, wood mice and insects and can overpower prey larger than itself. It lives in mountain coniferous and mixed forests, where it nests in tree holes originally excavated by woodpeckers.

The pygmy owl is the first of all owls to become active while it is still twilight – its quiet whistled "hoo, hoo" can be heard before the call of any other owl. It sits upright on treetops and flicks its tail, which gives it away even during the day. Unlike most owls, it is partly active in daylight too.

The pygmy owl population in the Czech Republic has been growing in recent decades and spreading to lower altitudes. In the Jeseníky, a total of 3 pygmy owls were recorded during spring monitoring in 2025, but across the country an estimated several thousand pairs breed. These little forest guardians are an inspiration for AMADEA's natural wooden decorations.

Little owl – Athene noctua

The little owl is a small owl (21–23 cm long) of open, cultivated countryside: it lives in orchards, avenues, cemeteries and old gardens with hollow trees. Its call – a melancholy, plaintive "kew" drifting from gardens and orchards at night – was long considered a bad omen, and spooky folk tales drew rich inspiration from it. Its Latin name Athene noctua, however, reflects ancient admiration – the little owl was a symbol of wisdom of the goddess Athena.

The little owl is a practical helper for farmers: it feeds mainly on voles, wood mice, earthworms and insects, keeping pests in check naturally. Sadly, it is a declining species – its population in the Czech Republic is falling because of a lack of nesting cavities in modernised orchards and avenues and because of intensive farming, which destroys its food.

The little owl is also active by day – it sits in treetops or on fences and bobs its head when it notices something suspicious. Nest boxes installed in orchards and gardens can help it. If you want to support nature in other ways too, find inspiration in AMADEA's wooden garden products – handmade from Czech woods.

European nightjar – Caprimulgus europaeus

The European nightjar is a nocturnally active bird that does not belong to the owl family but shares their nocturnal way of life. It is a migratory species – it arrives in May and leaves for tropical Africa in September. It lives in open pine forests, heathland and forest clearings with sandy soil, where it nests directly on the ground.

The nightjar is a master of camouflage: its plumage imitates the pattern of bark and leaves so precisely that a bird sitting on a branch during the day is practically invisible. At dusk it sets out to hunt night-flying insects – it catches moths, beetles and mosquitoes in its wide-open bill in flight. On warm summer nights the male makes a characteristic churring – a continuous trilling sound that resembles a small engine and can last for minutes on end.

In the Czech Republic, the nightjar lives mainly in the pine forests of South and Central Bohemia and in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. Its population depends on natural disturbance of the forest – clearings and glades are essential for it. It is one of the species that benefits from sensible forest management.

The most common mix-ups among night birds

Even experienced nature watchers sometimes confuse individual species. Here are the three most common mix-ups:

Overview of night birds in the Czech Republic

Frequently asked questions about the night birds of Czechia