Burrowing Owl
NAME:
Burrowing Owl
ZOO NAME:
Atlas & Phoebe
CLASS:
Aves
ORDER:
Strigiformes
GENUS:
Athene
SPECIES:
Cunicularia
LENGTH:
10″ Tall
WEIGHT:
5-6 oz.
LIFESPAN:
Up to 11 years in captivity (9 in the wild)
DIET:
Omnivore. Small mammals, lizards, snakes, insects, scorpions, fruit, seeds, prickly pear cactus (mostly insects and mammals)
RANGE
The Burrowing Owl lives in most of the Americas. They live in the SW and the NW and South America. It lives in almost all of Mexico. The Burrowing Owl also lives in the SW, Florida and the Caribbean. It breeds in the NW and spends its winter in Louisiana and Texas.
HABITAT
The Burrowing Owl’s unique home is, of course, a hole in the ground. These are usually burrows created by squirrels, prairie dogs, or other rodents and even turtles. These are usually found in dry, level, open terrain such as prairie, plains, desert, and grassland with low height vegetation for foraging and available perches such as fences, utility poles, posts, or even raised rodent mounds.
CHARACTERISTICS
The Burrowing Owl is a small ground dwelling bird with a round head and no ear tuffs. They have white eyebrows, yellow eyes, and long skinny legs. The owl is sandy colored on the head, back, and upper parts of the wing. It is white on its chest and belly. The young owls are brown on the head; back wings and mouth to adult plumage their first summer. They grow to be 9 inches tall and weigh 6-8 ounce.
BEHAVIOR
Burrowing Owls are easy to see because they are active in the daylight. The Burrowing Owl is also commonly known as the ground owl, prairie dog owl, and gopher owl.
REPRODUCTION
The Burrowing Owl’s nesting season spans from late March or during April. The Burrowing owl nests underground, and lays from six to twelve white eggs. The male owl brings food to the female owl during the period of when the eggs are hatching. He also stands guard over her and the nest during the day the eggs hatch. The eggs hatch in about fourteen days and the young leave the nest in about forty-four days.
THREATS
Poachers and loggers destroying habitat in some parts of the World
