Minerva’s
Owl

Minerva’s owl can be seen carved into the stone pediment of the Roman Baths temple, which is on display at the Roman Baths Museum.

Romans, Goddesses and Owls

The Roman Baths Temple, built in the 1st century AD, was dedicated to the Roman goddess Minerva, whose animal symbol was the owl of wisdom. The temple was also dedicated to the local Celtic goddess Sulis. The Roman and Celtic goddesses were then combined to create the unique Bath goddess, Sulis Minerva. Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom, healing and the arts and was linked to the Ancient Greek goddess Athena, whose sacred animal was also an owl. The Minerva/Athena owl is thought to have been a Little Owl, one of the smallest and most charismatic of the species, still known by its Latin name, Athene Noctua. The Little Owl was introduced to Britain in the 1880s and can be found living around Bath and the surrounding area. Unfortunately, Little Owls have decreased by over 60% in recent years. The UK Little Owl Project, which is based in Bath and will be one of the recipients of the Owls of Bath event, is working to protect them.

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Owls do not have spherical eyes, they have tube eyes (providing better depth perception and allowing them to see prey from great distances. Their close vision is not as clear.)

There are around 200 species of owl.
The largest is Blakiston’s fish owl (Japan, China, Siberia)

A Little Owl with an olive branch appeared on a Greek silver tetradrachm coin from 500 BC and a 5th Century BC bronze statue of the Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena, shows her holding a Little Owl.

You can find Little Owls in a range of habitats including quarries, villages, orchards, parkland, liveries and on lowland farmland. They prefer semi-open habitat and avoid woodland. Read Emily’s Little Owl Spotter’s Guide here.

The Little Owl is one of the smallest owls. It was introduced to Britain from Europe in the 1880s to help control garden pests and can be found living in tree hollows around the Bath area.

A group of owls is called a parliament.
(Of course, most owls are solitary!)

In 2008, a herd of 100 King Bladud’s Pigs descended on Bath to take part in one of the UK’s first public art sculpture trails.

Little Owls love sunbathing! You can spot them basking in sunshine on their favourite perches during the winter months in parks and rural villages. On a sunny day, look out for Little Owls on barn roofs, poles and fence posts.

“It was with sheer delight that I rounded a corner on my first ever visit to … where they were filming Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and saw a line of big, grey, fluffy, bewildered-looking owls blinking back at me.” JK Rowling

Many owls have asymmetrical ears that vary in size and are at different heights on their heads. This allows them to better pinpoint where their prey is.

Little Owls have decreased by 70% over the last 20 years. The UK Little Owl Project is working to protect them and is based in Bath.

Little Owls were introduced into Britain from Europe during the late 1880s to control garden pests.
There are thought to be 5,700 pairs in the UK.

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