The Invisible Little Burrowing Owl, Is He Your Neighbor Too?

One thing most owls are good at is being invisible. We can walk right under them and not even notice. This little owl is even better than most owls. The Burrowing Owl is wide-spread across America but, few of us have noticed one. Or if we did get a glimpse, we're not quite sure of what we had seen.

Around 1782 in Chili was the first time this little owl was documented. They have been called Ground Owls, Rattlesnake Owls, Hill Owls, Prairie Dog Owls, Tunnel Owls, Gopher Owls but they all mean the same thing; the Burrowing Owl. This owl is only about ten inches high with a wing span of 1 1/2 - 2 feet. It is easy to see how they can be over looked so often, they are a bit un-owl like in appearance and behavior. With a small rounded head with no ear tufts, and white eyebrows, sitting on top of a fence post or a log they blend right in and look like part of the wood. Their color is that of aged wood so it is hard to tell where the branch stops and the owl starts.

Burrowing Owls are one of the few that can be active during the day. Their favorite time is still dawn or dusk for their hunting! But, because of their size they like to be done feeding by the time the bigger "owl eating" predators come out later at night. Since they can see in the daylight too, if the evening feed didn't go very well they have the option of hunting longer in the morning. Due to this most Burrowing Owl sightings are during the day. Most states west of the Mississippi Valley have these owls at least for part of the year. If you have Prairie Dogs, Gophers, Voles, grasshoppers, or mice chances are pretty good you have this owl. His favorite habitat is grass lands but he will be adaptable if his food source is available. They also can perch in pine trees, or on the fence in your suburb. He prefers to live in old Prairie Dog or Gopher holes though he can do some pretty good digging if necessary, to have that just perfect hole. If your in the top states closer to Canada, this owl is migratory, the lower half of the US. he stays year around. It just depends on the weather. (OK, Bad pun!)

And yes, this owl has it's nest in dens in the ground. The mom and dad will both feed the young. If they have to they will feed their young 24/7 taking turns sleeping and getting food. At around 14 days old they can be sitting on top of their mound, outside the den entrance. By two months they will be chasing insects around on their own for dinner. If there is room the Burrowing Owl may stay close to his family unit if there are enough burrows and food.

The Gopher Owl can live up to ten years in captivity. Other owls, hawks, badgers, skunks, cars, cats and dogs all try to shorten that life span in the wild. Unfortunately in Colorado the Burrowing Owl is listed as "State Threatened" which is just a breath away from endangered. Most of the states that have the Prairie Dog Owl, have it listed either protected or endangered. But which do you save first, the owl or its food source which is a nuisance to most of us? Maybe we should look a little closer at the food chain.

Wildthings Wildlife Rehabilitation Center is in the foot hills of Colorado. We are licensed and trained in over a hundred species of wildlife native to Colorado. Our web page can help with human / wildlife conflict, finding a licensed rehabilitator near you. and other helpful links. With all of us we have released thousands of Colorado's wildlife. Thats enough to make a difference, one at a time.
http://www.wildthingsrehab.webs.com/