Eurasian Pygmy Owl population discovered in Spain

Eurasian Pygmy Owl has seemingly colonised Spain, with the species having been detected in Catalonia for the first recorded time.

Eurasian Pygmy Owl's range extends as far south as France, where it is localised in the Pyrenees and Massif Central, with larger – albeit low-level – populations in the Alps, Jura and Vosges. In the Pyrenees, following the discovery of a bird in May 2015 in the Aude department, further individuals were found there and in the Ariège department, which borders Andorra and Spain, as reported by Ornithomedia.

This increase in records is partly down to increased observer coverage – but some amount of range expansion is also likely. This was reaffirmed in May 2021 when Daniel López Velasco recorded at least one singing male in the province of Huesca, Spain, an exciting discovery that raised the prospect of a previously unknown Spanish population.

Increased range

In May 2022, between three and four males showing territorial behaviour were logged, confirming the presence of the species in the country.

Now Eurasian Pygmy Owl has been recorded in Catalonia for the first time, with a press release issued by the General Council of Aran in January 2025 announcing that the species was detected by autonomous recorders during the winter of 2023 in the Val d'Aran.

Val d'Aran is situated in the Pyrenees in the far north-west of Catalonia. Previously, Eurasian Pygmy Owl had never been recorded in the region – and this new discovery suggests that further birds could be found in the years to come.

Photo by © Matti Rekilä eBird S65269276 Macaulay Library ML 212474581

Article source: Birdguides