Owls are nocturnal animals that fly silently, so we often don’t even notice how many species and specimens of them live in our environment. They are well adapted to the presence of humans, as nesting places they occupy not only rotted hollows of old trees or abandoned twig nests of other birds, but also old chimneys, attics, and broken-in building cabins; they do not build nests on their own. We can also help them nest with a wide variety of tools, such as large nesting boxes, baskets of woven canes placed in branch forks, and laid pipes and barrels with narrowed entrances covered in concealing material (e.g. reed fabric). Common species in Hungary are the long-eared owl and the short-eared owl. In Hungary, all owl species are protected or highly protected.

(Athene noctua) Its Latin name reveals that the ancient Greeks revered it as the bird of Pallas Athena, the goddess of knowledge and wisdom. Small bird, weighing 140-245 grams, 21-23 centimeters long, 54-58 centimeters wingspan. Like all owls, it is nocturnal and predatory. During its hunts, it observes its surroundings from a higher point in order to fly silently and attack its prey, which betrays itself with its screeching. It mainly eats small mammals (mice, voles, shrews, moles), smaller birds (e.g. various chicks), reptiles (e.g. lizards) and insects (beetles, butterflies, hymenoptera).

The Hungarian superstition world often refers to it as the bird of death (common names: death bird, death owl), and there are less mystical reasons for this: the lights were often on at night in the houses of those suffering from serious illnesses, the light attracted various insects to the window, and they, in turn, hunted for the insects. It is highly protected in Hungary.