A population study of the Little Owl Athene noctua in the Haut-Léon (Finistère, France)

The paper deals with the status of this owl in western Brittany. The study area covers 178 km2in size and is chiefly located in a region where vegetable cultivations are predominant. Population density amounts here 0.2 pairs/km2. This low density has no changed since 1998. Nesting exclusively occurs in buildings. Thus, building renovation is the major cause of nesting site disappearance. Roads with heavy traffic, urbanized areas and woodlands are the major limiting factors in space used by this species. Nesting site occupancy is higher than described in literature: 31 % of sites are occupied over more than 7 years.