In the U.S., the burrowing owl is identified as a "candidate" species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In several states, they are considered a "species of special concern." They are "endangered" in Canada.

DESCRIPTION:

These small owls have brown and black spots and long legs.

SIZE:

Being one of the smallest owl species, burrowing owls weigh only five or six ounces and are about 10 inches tall.

POPULATION:

Burrowing owls have disappeared from much of their historic range. In Canadian prairie provinces, their numbers have dropped by more than half in the last decade. In North Dakota and western Montana, they are virtually gone.

LIFESPAN:

Little is known about how long a burrowing owl lives. The most current known record of survival for this species is 8 years, 8 months.

RANGE:

Burrowing owls are distributed from the Mississippi to the Pacific and from the Canadian prairie provinces into South America.

HABITAT:

This species of owl prefers open areas with low ground cover. They nest in abandoned burrows of small mammals, such as prairie dogs or ground squirrels.

FOOD:

Burrowing owls mostly eat small mammals such as moles and mice during late spring and early summer. Later they switch to insects, especially grasshoppers and beetles. They also prey on birds, amphibians and reptiles.

BEHAVIOR:

Unlike most owls that only hunt at night, burrowing owls also hunt during the day. In October, they migrate to a warmer climate. Burrowing owls make a tremulous chuckling or chattering call.

OFFSPRING:

Burrowing owls often nest in loose colonies about 100 yards apart. They lay 3 to 12 eggs from mid-May to early June. The female incubates the clutch for about 28 days while the male provides her with food. The young owls begin appearing at the burrow’s entrance two weeks after hatching and leave the nest to hunt for insects on their own after about 45 days. The chicks can fly well at 6 weeks old.

THREATS:

Some of the main threats to burrowing owl populations is agricultural development, the use of pesticides, and efforts to eradicate prairie dogs, which live side by side with burrowing owls.

PROTECTION:

As a candidate species, burrowing owls receive no legal protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Candidate species are animals and plants which may warrant official listing as threatened or endangered, but there is no conclusive data to give them this protection at the present time. However, this species does receive some legal protection from the U.S. through the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which forbids the destruction of the birds and active nests.
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