Burrowing Owl

Every family of birds carries a certain set of physical characteristics or behaviors to tie them together. Inherently, ducks swim in water, hummingbirds drink nectar from flowers, and woodpeckers, well, peck wood. But within these groups there are generally outliers that buck the trends and behave in ways that separate them from their genetic peers. One such is the burrowing owl.

This owl can be found as far north as southern Saskatchewan and Alberta during breeding season, and as far south as the most distant reaches of Argentina and Chile. They tend to make their way in sparsely vegetated areas, such as grasslands. Given some room, they can do quite well in rural or even suburban human habitats.

Of all the characteristics that make the burrowing owl unique, however, the most relevant would be that they make their homes exclusively in subterranean burrows, as the name suggests. Their scientific name, cunicularia, means ‘miner’ in Latin. But that's actually something of a misnomer in that they don’t do any of the burrowing themselves. Instead they rely on other animals, generally burrowing mammals, to excavate, inhabit and subsequently vacate an underground lair.

In the western US this is often the once-ubiquitous prairie dog, although its numbers have declined dramatically over the past few decades. Other animals whose unattended homes the owls will gladly set up shop in include the American badger, pocket gopher and various ground-squirrel species. Since burrowing owls tend to live in relatively arid, sparse habitat, the subterranean tunnels left behind by a bygone family of prairie dogs gives them the protection and shelter they need to rear young and cache food for the long prairie winters.

Burrowing owls are not flightless, but they do spend most of their time racing along the ground in search of the next meal. For this they have long, powerful legs, similar to another desert avian, the greater roadrunner. This is another feature setting them apart from their nocturnal cousins. Speaking of which, they’re one of the few owls in North America that are both diurnal and nocturnal, although they are most active above ground at dusk and dawn.

Burrowing owls enjoy an incredibly diverse diet. In short, if they can catch, kill and carry it, it’s on the menu. They enjoy an unending variety of insects, but they have a special taste for dung beetles. They enjoy them so much that burrowing owls are known to line their dens with animal droppings to attract their juicy snack of choice.

Because of their eagerness to snare any small creature that moves, they are fantastic neighbors to have in our own habitats. Most people regard small animals as pests, though the merits of that argument can be debated at length. What’s irrefutable, though, is that burrowing owls provide a free, effective and all-natural form of pest control if you live in the rural grasslands than dominate large swaths of our continent.

Why then, do they continue to decline at an alarming rate? While there is no one answer, much of it can be attributed to habitat loss and the wanton eradication of their food sources. For centuries grasslands have been held in low regard and seen as an expendable resource. They’re easy to build on and, more important, easy to cultivate. Much of the Great Plains region has been converted into millions of acres of corn, wheat and other crops to feed the world. More locally, the once seemingly endless deserts and chaparral that make up much of Arizona have been sectioned and often turned into subdivisions and farm fields and pasture. At the same time, small critter populations are suppressed to protect the crops, often with pesticides and herbicides, also very likely contributing to the owls’ decline.

Given seemingly incessant development, where does that leave this vulnerable species? In the state of Arizona the state's game and fish agency is working tirelessly to maintain healthy populations, and at one time was even building artificial nesting sites on suitable private land in collaboration with landowners. This program has helped reintroduce populations to rural habitats where they hadn’t been seen in years. If you live in a community like Coyote Springs or Paulden, you can look into ways to attract adjacent populations to your own property.

It also may be worth reaching out to Arizona Game and Fish to inquire about whether this program is still operational. It only takes a bit of effort by a small number of people to make a dramatic difference, and the borrowing owl is well worth it. For a good opportunity to see some yourself, patrol the roads around Paulden during the summer months; you may get lucky!