With all its green spaces, London is full of interesting wildlife – made all the more so since the heart of Britain, nay, Europe’s biggest metropolis seems like an unlikely home for animals.

One of these curiosities is a family of little owls that lives in Kensington Gardens, not far from London’s centre and the Natural History Museum. These owls are some of the easiest to spot in the wild thanks to a number of things, including the fact that they’re completely used to humans and active even when the sun’s brightly shining. Here’s everything you need to know, and more, about spotting them…

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Where to find them

Kensington Gardens is a large park in the west end of London, situated in the neighbourhood with which it shares a name. Nearby are many popular tourist attractions: the Natural History Museum, Buckingham Palace and the Royal Albert Hall, to name a few. Kensington Gardens looks like it’s part of Hyde Park on a map, though is technically separate thanks to a road slicing the two in half.

The owls tend to hang about near the Round Pond, directly across from the Queen Victoria statue. Look for a dead tree trunk with all its branches removed – this is one of their favourite perches. If they’re not there, look up at the surrounding trees. They sometimes scurry along the branches like squirrels, and (for a point of reference every Londoner should get) are a little smaller than a pigeon.

When to spot them

As little owls don’t migrate, you’ll be able to see them all year-round. Winter might be a bit more challenging, since they won’t be nesting and may be searching farther and wider for food. Then again, the lack of leaves means the deck’s not completely stacked against you.

Little owls are also active both day and night – generally speaking, they’re most often seen at dawn or dusk, but in midsummer they actively hunt in the middle of the day to satiate their growing chicks’ appetites. 

Other tips for spotting them

Listen out for their calls (a shrill “hooeeet” sound) – they tend not to sound off as much during the day, but it can be a giveaway at times when they’re feeling a little more extroverted.

Kensington Gardens’ little owls aren’t particularly afraid of humans, given that hundreds of joggers and walkers pass by their home every day. I even saw one land near to a girl out for a jog – who strangely didn’t react to it. Whether because she hadn’t clocked that it was an owl or had seen them so often already I couldn’t be sure.

Important note: please be considerate

These owls are still wild, and won’t particularly appreciate you getting too close to them. Generally speaking, stay at least five metres away from the dead tree where they often perch while hunting (and possibly nest). When I went, a good rule of thumb was to stay off any uncut grass.

Facts about little owls

Native to the European mainland, little owls are thought to have been introduced to England in the 19th century, and today are a firmly established owl species in Britain. Their population has been in decline, thanks to changes in agriculture that have reduced the amount of available nesting spaces. Thankfully, Kensington Gardens remains a safe place for its owls to nest.

Their diet consists mainly of insects, earthworms and mice, depending on which they can get their claws on at the time – hence why this owl is active both day and night, rain or shine. Generally they’ll sit atop a perch, such as a fencepost or branch, and swoop down on any prey they spot or hear. Both senses are excellent, and a little owl has no trouble detecting the faint rustles made by a mouse down below.

Does this owl appear in Harry Potter?

You might be wondering this if you’ve included Platform 9 3/4 in your London trip – and the answer is, not quite.

The closest the series ever gets is Ron’s owl Pigwidgeon, a similarly small owl, though JK Rowling specifies that he is in fact a Scops owl, a different species. Scops owls are also mentioned in the books as being one of the owls in the wizards’ post office, “for local deliveries only” due to their small size.

It’s also possible that this species appeared as an “extra” during the “no post on Sundays” scene in the first film.

How to get to Kensington Gardens from anywhere in London

If coming in by tube, High Street Kensington is the closest station to the little owls’ nest. With the District and Circle Lines running to it, and connections to every other tube line, you should be able to access it from anywhere in the city.

Kensington Gardens is also a fifteen minute walk away from the Natural History Museum, and about forty minutes away from Buckingham Palace and St James’ Gardens (most of this will be through Hyde Park though).