The Burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) is a small, long-legged owl found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. Unlike most owls, these owls are often active during the day, but like many other kinds of owls, though, they do most of their hunting during dusk and dawn, when they can use their night vision and hearing to their advantage. Living in open grasslands as opposed to forests, the burrowing owl has developed longer legs that enable it to sprint, as well as fly, when hunting.
Burrowing owls have bright eyes and their beaks can be dark yellow or gray depending on the subspecies. They have prominent white eyebrows and a white "chin" patch which they expand and display during certain behaviors, such as a bobbing of the head when agitated. Adults have brown heads and wings with white spotting. The chest and abdomen are white with variable brown spotting or barring, also depending on the subspecies. Juvenile owls are similar in appearance, but they lack most of the white spotting above and brown barring below; their breast may be buff-colored rather than white.
Burrowing owls range from the southern portions of the western Canadian provinces through southern Mexico and western Central America. They are also found in Florida and many Caribbean islands. In South America, they are patchy in the northwest and through the Andes but widely distributed from southern Brazil to Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. Burrowing owls are year-round residents in most of their range. Birds that breed in Canada and the northern U.S. usually migrate south to Mexico and the southern U.S. during winter months. These owls inhabit grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or any other open dry area with low vegetation.
Burrowing owls spend most of their time on the ground, and may breed in loose colonies. They nest and roost in burrows, such as those excavated by prairie dogs. Unlike most owls, Burrowing owls are often active during the day, although they tend to avoid the midday heat. However, most of their hunting is done from dusk until dawn, when they can use their night vision and hearing to their advantage. When hunting, Burrowing owls wait on a perch patiently until they spot prey. Then, they swoop down on prey or fly up to catch insects in flight. Sometimes, they walk, hop, or chase prey on foot across the ground. When not hunting Burrowing owls sleep at their burrow entrances or on depressions in the ground. The rest of the time is spent stretching, preening, and bathing in a puddle and the birds will also take a dust bath in a shallow depression in the dirt. Disturbed Burrowing owls bob jerkily up and down and can scream, cluck, and chatter when defending the nest. Their main call is a mellow 'coo-coooo' and a song 'co-hoo' that can usually be heard at night.
