18th century illustration of a Eurasian pygmy owl (Glaucidium passerinum), the smallest owl in Europe. It is a dark reddish to greyish-brown, with spotted sides and half of a white ring around the back of the neck. This species is found in the boreal forests of Northern and Central Europe to Siberia .Bird of prey from Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux d'Afrique (Natural History of Birds of Africa) by Franeois Le Vaillant (1753-1824), published in Paris, France in 1799.