Burrowing owl

Burrowing owl
Athene cunicularia

Burrowing owl
Athene cunicularia

Burrowing owl
Athene cunicularia

Burrowing owl
Athene cunicularia

Burrowing owl
Athene cunicularia

Burrowing owl
Athene cunicularia

Burrowing owl
Athene cunicularia

Burrowing owl
Athene cunicularia

Burrowing owl
Athene cunicularia

Burrowing owl
Athene cunicularia

Burrowing owl
Athene cunicularia

Burrowing owl
Athene cunicularia

Burrowing owl
Athene cunicularia

Burrowing owl
Athene cunicularia

Burrowing owl
Athene cunicularia

Burrowing owl
Athene cunicularia

Burrowing owl
Athene cunicularia

Burrowing owl
Athene cunicularia

Burrowing owl
Athene cunicularia

Burrowing owl
Athene cunicularia

Burrowing owl
Athene cunicularia

Description
The Burrowing Owl is a small ground-dwelling owl. Its head is round with no ear tufts and its face is distinguished by white eyebrows, bright yellow eyes and a prominent white chin stripe. The owl's back and upper wing parts are sandy colored and the barred chest and belly are creamy white. This species can be distinguished from all other small owls by its long legs. They are also readily distinguished in flight due to their irregular, jerky wing beats that are interspersed with long glides. Burrowing Owls are easy to spot because they are often active in daylight and are surprisingly bold and approachable.

Habitat
Burrowing Owls are found in open, dry grasslands, agricultural and range lands, and desert habitats in association with burrowing mammals such as prairie dogs, ground squirrels and badgers. They commonly perch on fence posts or on top of mounds outside the burrow. While Burrowing Owls can dig, they usually occupy burrows abandoned by other animals. The female incubates a clutch of 4-10 eggs, while the male hunts to provide food to her and the nestlings. A significant portion the Burrowing Owl’s diet consists of large insects, such as beetles and grasshoppers, and small mammals, especially mice, voles, and ground squirrels. However, they have a diverse overall diet, taking scorpions, reptiles, amphibians, bats, small birds, and even fruit and seeds in the southern part of their range.

Range
The Burrowing Owl is distributed discontinuously throughout the grasslands region of North America. It breeds from southern Alberta eastward to southern Manitoba, and southward through the United States and into Mexico. It winters from the southwestern United States into Central America. A significant proportion of Burrowing Owls are found in California in winter months, with the largest population in the Imperial Valley, and other smaller populations in the Central Valley, and along the southern coast and in the San Francisco Bay Area. A second, non-migratory subspecies of North American Burrowing Owl is found in Florida and the Bahamas.

Threats
Burrowing Owls have declined throughout their entire range in Canada and the United States. Although Mexico is an important wintering area for migratory owls, their status there is unknown. Intensified land use, primarily the conversion of grasslands for agricultural purposes, results in widespread loss and fragmentation of nesting habitat and is believed to be a major contributor to population decline. Prairie dog eradication programs and human pesticide use may also play an important role in reducing the availability of prey and reproductive success.

For more detailed information on this species or for information on the conservation of biodiversity in North America, please visit these websites:

NatureServe Explorer
Commission for Environmental Cooperation