**Abstract**

Two families, 8 genera, 12 species, and 13 subspecies of recent owls are recorded in Bulgaria. Two species (*Bubo scandiacus* and *Strix nebulosa*), established in the Pleistocene localities, disappeared from the country's recent avifauna. The southernmost limits of the European breeding ranges of three species (*Stix uralensis*, *Aegolius funereus*, and *Glaucidium passerinum*) pass through the territory of Bulgaria. Three species are endangered, 2—vulnerable, 1—threatened, and all the 12 species are protected by law. Earliest record of owls came from Gelasian (2.5 Mya) and Calabrian (1.6 Mya). Bone finds of two Early Pleistocene localities are incompletely identified (as *Asio* and *Athene*, respectively). The find of *Athene* sp. is determined as the oldest European record of that genus. Some anthropogenic factors that cause owl mortality are also presented.

**Keywords:** Pleistocene owls, Quaternary birds, paleoenvironment, avian bone remains, wildlife of Bulgaria, birds of Balkan Peninsula
