What are the physical features of a burrowing owl?
The burrowing owl is a ground-dwelling bird species. This owl’s characteristics include long legs, a brown body with speckles of white, and the absence of ear tufts. Both males and females stand about 10 inches (25 centimeters) tall and weigh six ounces (170 grams).
What is a burrowing owls scientific name?
Athene cunicularia
Burrowing owl/Scientific names
ABBREVIATION: ATCU SYNONYMS: Speotyto cunicularia (Molina)[2,58] COMMON NAMES: burrowing owl TAXONOMY: The scientific name of burrowing owl is Athene cunicularia (Molina).
DESCRIPTION: Adult burrowing owls are from about seven to 10 inches in length, with a round head, white eyebrows, yellow eyes, and long legs. Burrowing owls are sandy colored on the head, back, and upperparts of the wings, and their under-parts are thickly spotted with whites and buffs.
What are some fun facts about burrowing owls?
Fun Facts
- Burrowing owls are the only small owl species to perch on the ground. Rather than fly away, they often run or flatten themselves against the ground when disturbed.
- While still in the nest, a burrowing owlet’s distress cry mimics the sound of a rattlesnake, scaring away predators.
What is the role of a burrowing owl?
They walk, hop and run in search of insects and small mammals. Burrowing owls also use a flight approach to hunt prey by taking to the wing and hovering above the ground in search of prey. They also use flight to escape predators and to defend the nest site.
What is a burrowing owls life cycle?
Life cycle: The breeding season for Burrowing Owls begins in early March. After the female lays 7 to 9 eggs, she and the male take turns sitting on them. Three to four weeks later, the eggs hatch and fluffy chicks emerge. One by one, the chicks grow braver, leaving the burrow and wandering outside the entrance.
Why is it important to save burrowing owls?
Their group, the Burrowing Owl Conservation Network (BOCN) believes that burrowing owls are vital to maintaining healthy, functioning ecosystems, and as such is working on several fronts to help protect habitat and reverse the animal’s population slide.
How are burrowing owls being saved?
Burrowing Owl Conservation Network actively works to re-establish, preserve and aid in the rehabilitation of burrowing owl colonies through the protection and maintenance of habitat, ground digging mammals and ecosystems.
What is the burrowing owls behavior?
Behavior: Burrowing Owls often live in loose colonies. The adults take turns standing guard near the nest burrows. They are active both day and night, especially during the breeding season. These owls hunt by swooping down from perches and surprising prey.
What are burrowing owls predators?
Prominent Predators. Burrowing owls employ their self-defense techniques against a wide array of animals. Their most prominent predators include domestic dogs, house cats, bobcats, armadillos, ferrets, weasels, coyotes, snakes, skunks, badgers and fellow birds of prey, albeit bigger ones.
What is the burrowing owl diet?
Burrowing Owls eat invertebrates and small vertebrates, including lizards, birds, and mammals. Invertebrates, especially insects, constitute the majority of food items, while vertebrates make up the bulk of the diet by mass. Burrowing Owls commonly hunt grasshoppers, crickets, moths, beetles, mice, voles, and shrews.
How do burrowing owls burrow?
True to their name, Burrowing Owls live underground, usually in a burrow taken over from a prairie dog, ground squirrel, or tortoise . They sometimes use natural rock cavities and human-made spaces. The owls may even dig burrows themselves in areas of soft or sandy soil.
