Burrowing Owl

The burrowing owl is a small, long-legged owl found across open grassland, desert and prairie habitats throughout the Americas, from parts of Canada south to Tierra del Fuego, distinguished from most other owls by its habit of nesting and roosting underground rather than in trees. Rather than digging its own burrow in most of its range, it typically takes over abandoned burrows dug by prairie dogs, ground squirrels, tortoises or other burrowing animals, sometimes lining the entrance with animal dung to help mask its scent and attract the dung beetles and other insects it eats. Unlike most owls, it is frequently active during the day as well as at night, often seen standing at the burrow entrance on its unusually long legs, bobbing its head when alarmed. Its diet is broad, including large insects, small mammals, birds and reptiles, and it hunts both from the ground and in flight. Loss of native grassland habitat and the eradication of prairie dog colonies across much of North America have caused significant population declines in parts of its range, prompting conservation concern in several regions.