High population density of Little Owl (Athene noctua) in Hortobagy National Park, Hungary, Central Europe

Little Owl is a rapidly declining farmland species across Central Europe, however its population status is poorly known in Hungary. The main aim of this study was to determine the distribution and population density of Little Owl in Hortobagy National Park (northeastern Hungary), which is characterized by a high proportion of grassland habitats. During March and April of 2011–2012, the Little Owl occurrence was surveyed using tape-recorded stimulation in 245 sampling points in an area of 489 km2. In total, we recorded 245 calling males with relative positive occurrence of 75.5% in an individual sampling point. The average nearest neighbour distance of two calling males was 553.6 meters (min. = 70 m, max. = 3100 m). The average population density of Little Owls was 5.01 calling males/10 km2, however this could reach up to 85.97 calling males/10 km2 in 3.06 km2 locally. Residential buildings and farms were the main expected breeding places in our study area. High density of the Little Owl in the study area is probably influenced by traditional pastoral management, extensive agriculture and high proportion of grasslands. The particualar role could be atributed to presence of short-sward pastures around human settlements, considered to be crucial for the species survival in Central Europe. Further monitoring of the Little Owl is necessary to assess its current population status across various parts of its distribution range.