Little Owl

SCI Name:  Athene noctua
Protonym:  Strix noctua AnnusIHist.-Nat. p.22
Taxonomy:  Strigiformes / Strigidae / Athene
Taxonomy Code:  litowl1
Type Locality:  Carniolia, i.e. Krain.
Author:  Scopoli
Publish Year:  1769
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

ATHENE
(Strigidae; † Little Owl A. noctua) Gr. myth. Athene, goddess of wisdom, war and the liberal arts, whose favourite bird was the owl (γλαυξ glaux), an ancient association from her primitive role as goddess of the night; the Little Owl is depicted on ancient Athenian coins, and still features on the badge of that city; "3. Familie.  Tageulen, Surnia.   ...   17. Gattung. Athene.   32. passerina.   33. Tengmalmi.   34. acadica." (Boie 1822); "Athene Boie, Isis von Oken, 1822, Bd. 1, col. 549. Type, by subsequent designation, A. noctua (Retz.) Boie, Pl. enl. 439. Str. passerina Auct. = Strix noctua Scopoli. (G. R. Gray, List Gen. Bds., ed. 2, 1841, p. 7.)" (Peters, 1940, IV, p. 147).
Var. Althene, Athelle.
Synon. Carine, Cunistrix, Glaux, Noctua, Pholeoptynx, Speotyto.
• (Strigidae; syn. Megascops † Puerto Rican Screech Owl M. nudipes) "IV. Fam. Strigidae   ...   Athene: St. nudipes Daud. u.s.w." (Boie 1826); "Athene Boie, 1826, Isis von Oken, XIX (x), col. 970.  Type, by monotypy, Strix nudipes Daudin, 1800." (JAJ 2020).
Var. Athena.

noctua
L. noctua  owl sacred to the goddess Minerva (also known as Athene, Pallas, or Pallas Athene)  < nox, noctis  night (Athene).

Noctua
L. noctua  owl sacred to Minerva (also known as Athene, Pallas, or Pallas Athene), goddess of wisdom, war, and the liberal arts, and whose favourite bird was the owl, an ancient association from her primitive rôle as goddess of the night  < nox, noctis  night.
● (syn. Asio Ϯ Short-eared Owl A. flammeus) "V. NOCTUA minor.  BRISS. av. p. 150. ord. 3. g. 12. s. 5.  Descriptioni BRISSONIANAE per omnia similis est, sed magnitudine tantum maior, quippe quae ad pedalem accedit, et crassitia ululina insignior. Deinde rostrum habet totum nigrum; Remiges e fusco et flavicante varias, multumque flavescentis ventri admiscetur. Mentum album" (S. Gmelin 1771).
● (syn. Athene Ϯ Little Owl A. noctua) "GENRE XIII, NOCTUA  ... Tête sans aigrettes.  ...  NOCTUA Glaux.  La Chevêche" (de Savigny 1809); the Γλαυξ Glaux and Noctua of classical authors.
● (syn. Glaucidium Ϯ Asian Barred Owlet G. cuculoides) "NOCTUA.  ...  Size small. Insectivorous and nocturnal.  Instances. N. Cuculoïdes, GOULD; N. Auribarbis; N. Tarayensis; N. Perlineata; N. Tubiger, nob. [Drawing] Nos. 67, 63. 707, 486, respectively" (Hodgson 1837).

SUBSPECIES

Little Owl (Little)
SCI Name: Athene noctua [noctua Group]
ATHENE
(Strigidae; † Little Owl A. noctua) Gr. myth. Athene, goddess of wisdom, war and the liberal arts, whose favourite bird was the owl (γλαυξ glaux), an ancient association from her primitive role as goddess of the night; the Little Owl is depicted on ancient Athenian coins, and still features on the badge of that city; "3. Familie.  Tageulen, Surnia.   ...   17. Gattung. Athene.   32. passerina.   33. Tengmalmi.   34. acadica." (Boie 1822); "Athene Boie, Isis von Oken, 1822, Bd. 1, col. 549. Type, by subsequent designation, A. noctua (Retz.) Boie, Pl. enl. 439. Str. passerina Auct. = Strix noctua Scopoli. (G. R. Gray, List Gen. Bds., ed. 2, 1841, p. 7.)" (Peters, 1940, IV, p. 147).
Var. Althene, Athelle.
Synon. Carine, Cunistrix, Glaux, Noctua, Pholeoptynx, Speotyto.
• (Strigidae; syn. Megascops † Puerto Rican Screech Owl M. nudipes) "IV. Fam. Strigidae   ...   Athene: St. nudipes Daud. u.s.w." (Boie 1826); "Athene Boie, 1826, Isis von Oken, XIX (x), col. 970.  Type, by monotypy, Strix nudipes Daudin, 1800." (JAJ 2020).
Var. Athena.

Little Owl (Abyssinian)
SCI Name: Athene noctua spilogastra/somaliensis
ATHENE
(Strigidae; † Little Owl A. noctua) Gr. myth. Athene, goddess of wisdom, war and the liberal arts, whose favourite bird was the owl (γλαυξ glaux), an ancient association from her primitive role as goddess of the night; the Little Owl is depicted on ancient Athenian coins, and still features on the badge of that city; "3. Familie.  Tageulen, Surnia.   ...   17. Gattung. Athene.   32. passerina.   33. Tengmalmi.   34. acadica." (Boie 1822); "Athene Boie, Isis von Oken, 1822, Bd. 1, col. 549. Type, by subsequent designation, A. noctua (Retz.) Boie, Pl. enl. 439. Str. passerina Auct. = Strix noctua Scopoli. (G. R. Gray, List Gen. Bds., ed. 2, 1841, p. 7.)" (Peters, 1940, IV, p. 147).
Var. Althene, Athelle.
Synon. Carine, Cunistrix, Glaux, Noctua, Pholeoptynx, Speotyto.
• (Strigidae; syn. Megascops † Puerto Rican Screech Owl M. nudipes) "IV. Fam. Strigidae   ...   Athene: St. nudipes Daud. u.s.w." (Boie 1826); "Athene Boie, 1826, Isis von Oken, XIX (x), col. 970.  Type, by monotypy, Strix nudipes Daudin, 1800." (JAJ 2020).
Var. Athena.

Little Owl (Lilith)
SCI Name: Athene noctua lilith
lilith
Mesopotamian legend Lilith, the mother of demons and haunter of desolate wind-swept places (cf. Hebrew legend Lilith, the original partner of Adam) (subsp. Athene noctua).

Little Owl (Hutton's)
SCI Name: Athene noctua bactriana
bactriana / bactrianus
L. Bactrianus Bactrian (Bactria or Bactriana, an ancient country of Central Asia, roughly corresponding to modern Turkistan and Balkh, northern Afghanistan).