What they like

Quiet spots with cover. Think: dense conifers, ivy, holly or a messy hedgerow. By day it wants to be invisible; at night it hunts over open ground. Make that combo: shelter plus hunting field. Leave a rough edge along the lawn, a roadside verge or plot. Mow less neatly — more mice. In rural areas: keep hedgerows, shelterbelts and farm plantings wide and dense. In a park or garden: let a corner go wild and add a few tall shrubs.

Ecological importance

Night‑time mouse manager. It mainly eats field mice and voles, sometimes small birds. Its young are prey for larger raptors and owls: that keeps the food chain turning.

When in the Netherlands

Year‑round. In winter often roosting in groups in dense greenery.

Status

Breeding bird. Numbers fluctuate and depend heavily on mouse years; locally under pressure from reduced suitable hunting habitat and overly tidy properties.