Facts about Burrowing Owl
- 09
Burrowing owls consume approximately 20 insects per night during peak hunting season, making them particularly valuable for natural pest control in agricultural regions.
- 08
Florida's burrowing owl population has declined by approximately 90 percent since the 1980s due to habitat loss and urban development in the state's grasslands.
- 07
Pairs of burrowing owls engage in coordinated hunting dives from heights of 30 to 40 feet, often working together to flush prey from grass before capturing insects and small vertebrates mid-flight.
- 06
Long-term studies show burrowing owl pairs often return to the same burrow system year after year, with some individuals maintaining nesting territories for over 10 consecutive breeding seasons.
- 05
Across their North American range, burrowing owls migrate southward in winter, with populations breeding in Canada and the northern United States traveling to Mexico and Central America.
- 04
Burrowing owls perform a distinctive bobbing motion with their heads when alarmed, a behavior that helps them judge distances to potential threats in open terrain.
- 03
Burrowing owls nest in underground burrows abandoned by prairie dogs, ground squirrels, and other mammals rather than in trees like most owl species.
- 02
Unlike most owls, burrowing owls are highly active during daylight hours and often hunt in open grasslands during broad daylight.
- 01
Measuring just 7.5 inches tall, the burrowing owl weighs between 140 and 240 grams, making it one of North America's smallest owl species.