A small brown owl with yellow beak and eyes, sitting on the ground near a pile of earth or hole in the ground is almost certainly a Burrowing Owl—anywhere in south central Canada, west central United States, Florida, some Caribbean islands, Mexico, and the grasslands of South America. Once very common in most of its range, the Burrowing Owl is now endangered in Canada, a species of special concern in much of the United States, and threatened in Mexico. Its wide range, however, means that it still has a sizable total population making it a species of “least concern” on the IUCN Red List.
The Burrowing Owl, or Ground Owl, earns its name from its habit of sitting on the ground and nesting in the abandoned burrows of other animals: badgers, ground squirrels, prairie dogs, armadillos, and vizcachas. If the ground is soft and easy to dig, a Burrowing Owl can dig its own tunnel. Both adults and juveniles are often seen sitting near the burrow entrance during the day.
Burrowing Owl Nesting and Breeding
The breeding season begins in late March to early April when the male owl selects a burrow and prepares it for nesting. He may widen the tunnel and clear away any blockages, then he lines it with plant material and animal dung, usually that of cows or horses. The reason for adding dung to the nest is not entirely clear—there are a number of possible reasons:
- It attracts insects that the owls can eat.
- It raises humidity in the burrow and moderates the temperature.
- The odor hides the smell of owls from predators.
- Females may be attracted to the site.
- This may be a way for a male to stake a claim to the burrow.
Females can lay up to twelve eggs, but usually less than half of the young survive to adulthood. The male brings food to the female while she is incubating the eggs and caring for hatchlings—eventually the female will join the male hunting for food to bring back for the young.
When young birds are about three weeks old, they begin to gather at the burrow entrance, waiting to be fed, and at four weeks some of them will move to other burrows. By seven weeks, they are starting to fly and hunt their own food.
Burrowing Owl Hunting
Burrowing Owls watch for prey from the ground, from an elevated position such as a fence post, rock wall, or tree branch, or while hovering above the ground. They capture insects, small rodents, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and will also sometimes eat carrion. Their diet also includes fruits and seeds, and the flesh of cacti.
Threats to Burrowing Owls
Burrowing Owls face a number of threats and the species is in decline in many areas:
- Attempts to control burrowing animals limit nesting sites.
- Much of the open short grass prairie that the owls need is being used for farming.
- Pesticides and other chemicals poison the birds.
- Predators take many owls on the ground: cats, dogs, skunks, foxes, badgers, weasels, snakes, and raptors.
- Owls often hunt on roads where insects are attracted to the warm pavement. Many birds are killed by cars.
In spite of conservation efforts Burrowing Owls may become extinct in Canada in the near future
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Sources:
"Bird Fact Sheets: Burrowing Owl." Hinterland Who’s Who
Birds Of North America. Kaufman, Kenn. New York: Houghton Mifflin; 2000
"Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularia." The Owl Pages.
Rosemary Drisdelle - Rosemary Drisdelle has been published many times as a nonfiction writer and several times as a poet. Her first book, Parasites: Tales of ...
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