The Burrowing Owl

The Burrowing Owl

About
Burrowing owls (Athene cunicalaria) are native to Florida, and can be found in the prairies of Central Florida. They thrive in areas with open land and little ground cover, and as the name implies, live in underground burrows either taken over from prairie dogs, ground squirrels and other species. Burrowing owls are one of the smallest owl species in Florida, and stand at around 7 to 10 inches tall, and can weigh around 5 ounces. When nesting, they often bring animal dung around their burrows to lure in prey, such as beetles!

Importance
These owls naturally keep pest populations in check, such as insects like beetles, grasshoppers and moths, and small rodents such as mice, rats and voles. They also feed on carrion, reptiles, amphibians and small birds, making them an important part of the Florida ecosystem and food web.

Threats
While Burrowing Owls can be found in the northwest US and southern south america, their populations are being threatened across these habitats… Especially in Florida due to rapid overdevelopment. This habitat destruction and overdevelopment leads to the decline of prairie dogs and ground squirrels, which the burrowing owl depends on. With the decline of these other species and suitable habitats, these birds have become displaced, leaving them vulnerable.

How Can I Help?
To learn more about burrowing owls, see what is being done to protect them, and how you can get involved, here are a few Florida-based organizations that focus on protecting these birds:

Project Perch is a non-profit organization run by Kelly Heffernan and Paul Kragh that focuses on creating artificial burrows and perches to help combat the loss of natural burrows caused by overdevelopment. Project Perch depends on volunteers to stay true to their mission of observing, protecting and nurturing the Florida Burrowing Owl.

The Burrowing Owl Conservation Network is a subsection of the Urban Bird Foundation, which is a nationwide network that focuses on bird conservation, preventing the disconnect between people and nature, and creating a healthy and sustainable future.

The Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife is an entirely volunteer-based organization stationed in Cape Coral that focuses on wildlife conservation. Cape Coral is home to Florida’s largest population of burrowing owls. They seek to educate, conserve and protect our native species against human disturbance and overdevelopment.

Sources – floridawildlifefederation.org, nps.gov, education.nationalgeographic.org