Burrowing Owl
Athene cunicularia
Habitat
Ground
Diet
VertFishScav
Active Time
Nocturnal
Size
151 g
About This Species
This small, long-legged owl of open grassland, prairie, and desert is unusual among owls in being active by day, often seen standing alertly at the entrance to its underground burrow, which is typically an old prairie dog or ground squirrel burrow rather than one it digs itself. It bobs its head when alert and hunts insects and small rodents mainly at dawn, dusk, and through the night. Look for it perched on low mounds or fence posts near burrow colonies in open country across the Americas.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Keep well back from burrow entrances and never approach on foot toward a burrow, since even brief disturbance can cause adults to abandon eggs or chicks below ground, and burrows can also collapse under foot traffic.
- Legal protection for this species varies significantly across its range, with some populations more strictly protected than others, so treat every burrow as protected rather than assuming otherwise.
- Viewing from a vehicle or from a distance with binoculars is markedly safer for the birds than approaching on foot.
LCAvesStrigiformesStrigidae
Seasonal Activity
388,708 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Strigidae
Traits
- Diet
- VertFishScav
- Foraging
- Ground
- Activity
- Nocturnal
- Body mass
- 151 g
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.