Little Owl vs Red Fox

Athene noctua compared with Vulpes vulpes

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Little Owl	Red Fox
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Strigiformes (Owls)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Strigidae (True Owls)	Canidae (Dogs & Wolves)
Genus	Athene	Vulpes (Foxes)
Species	Athene noctua	Vulpes vulpes

Evolutionary Relationship

Little Owl and Red Fox share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Little Owl

LC — Least Concern

Red Fox

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Little Owl	Red Fox
Diet	—	Omnivore
Average Lifespan	—	5 years
Average Length	—	70 cm
Average Weight	—	6.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Little Owl

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Found across Europe (8 countries) and Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand).

Red Fox

Habitat

Typically found in a wide range of habitat types.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Cyprus, Israel), Europe (8 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Argentina).

Little Owl

Little Owl (Athene noctua) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Red Fox

The most widespread wild carnivore on Earth, red foxes have colonized habitats from Arctic tundra to urban environments across the Northern Hemisphere and introduced ranges in Australia. Recognized by their russet coat, white belly, and bushy tail. Highly adaptable omnivores, red foxes eat everything from rabbits and voles to fruit and human refuse. They communicate with over 40 distinct vocalizations.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇷 France 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden