Burrowing Owl

Athene cunicularia

photo by Kay McKeever, The Owl Foundation

Physical Appearance: One of the smallest species of owls, the burrowing owl is only nine inches tall, has a short tail, and very long legs, and weighs about 4 oz.

Geographic Range: The burrowing owl is found both in North and South America. In the U.S., the owl lives mostly in the west, but several thousand reside in the higher and dryer parts of South and Central Florida.

Status: listed as a "species of special concern" in several states because its numbers are declining.

Threats to Survival: An insecticide used for farming called carbofuran, which is lethal to the burrowing owls, was recently banned in Canada. However, the owls face another threat to their survival: destruction of their habitat. Agricultural and commercial development destroy the earth where the owls live. Since one owl needs one acre of land to survive, building houses, hotels, or plowing the fields where they live threatens to destroy their homes and leave them with not enough space to live in. Recently, however, the owls were given a new home in the Flamingo Gardens Everglades Wildlife Sanctuary in Florida, where a populations of burrowing owls is now flourishing.

Habits: The burrowing owl differs from most other species of owls in two primary ways. While most owls are nocturnal - active at night - the burrowing owl is diurnal - active during the day, like humans. In most owl species, the female is larger than the male, except in burrowing owls, whose females are smaller than the males. The small birds feed on insects, small frogs, lizards, and rodents. They produce a variety of different calls, from a shriek to a whistle to a laugh to a coo.

Instead of nesting in the trees, as most birds do, the burrowing owl gets it name because it burrows into holes in the ground to live. The owl makes its own holes, but more commonly lives in abandoned prairie dog and squirrel holes. When the owl sees something approaching its home, it bobs up and down a few times, and then dives into its burrow. The owls breed from spring until fall, and the females lays around 6-8 eggs. These take one month to hatch, and the young owls stay in the nest for about 42 days before leaving.

For More Information: Ask Helen Snyder about burrowing owls.