Howdy, friends.  I’m back with some birds for everybody after my trip with family to the Jersey Shore.  I don’t want to be too grumpy about the fact that Ocean City is dry, but an unintended side effect is that there isn’t a decent restaurant on the island.  You’re just not going to attract even middling culinary talent if there is no chance of patrons spiking their tab with a cocktail or a glass of wine.  They also don’t allow tourists to bring dogs, which I do get, but this aggression against Broccoli the dog will not stand, man.  Its ok, we had a nice trip and I’m not going to argue with my mom about her favorite vacation spot being less than ideal.  

This week’s bird is the burrowing owl, among the smallest of all owls.  Although some burrowing owls will dig out their own burrows, most do not and rely on burrows abandoned by prairie dogs, badgers, ground squirrels, etc.  They are also perfectly willing to use artificial structures, whether specifically designed to house them or incidentally suitable.  Because of this, they are “slightly tolerant” of human presence, and can be found living in large human-made structures that mimic their flat and open natural habitat, like golf courses and airports.  Burrowing owls live in much of North and South America, from British Columbia to Tierra del Fuego, avoiding only the hot, damp interior of the Amazon rainforest.  There are 16 extant subspecies, with two more recognized as extinct, but covering that in detail is outside the remit of your humble host.  

The burrowing owl is mostly terrestrial, and has long legs which allow it to sprint after prey.  The owl is capable of flight, but typically only flies to avoid danger or hunt flying prey, and doesn’t fly for long.  Some populations do migrate from Canada and the western US to Mexico over the winter, I must assume in short bursts.  I was not able to find any info on if they walk all or most of the way, but that doesn’t seem likely.  The owl lives in a wide variety of largely open biomes, including grasslands and prairies, badlands, characterized by sedimentary rocks and clay, with steep slopes and dramatic drainage, chaparral, a kind of shrubland characteristic of the North American west, and deserts.  

The only notable sexual dimorphism in these birds is that the males have lighter feathers, since they spend more time out in the sun and their plumage bleaches.  Nesting season begins in late March or April.  Burrowing owls form mating pairs, although a male may occasionally have two mates.  The female will lay about nine eggs over the course of several days, and brood over them for three to four weeks while the male brings her food.  Once the eggs hatch, both parents will work to feed the chicks.  A month after hatching, the new owls will be ready to fly, but will hang out with/be fed by the parents for about three to four more months.  Familial bonds are fleeting, and the family will break up once the chicks are launched.  Females are more likely to try and nest somewhere else next time, probably as a hedge against inbreeding.  

The burrowing owl has a close relationship with prairie dogs.  Prairie dogs build burrows that the owls can then use, provide an alert system that spreads the word if predators are around, and finally are a literal line of defense in that the dog is a much heartier meal for the many animals which prey on both.  Since prairie dogs are considered agricultural pests and are often subject to organized culling, this has impacted burrowing owl populations in the Midwest and west of the US.  The burrowing owl is endangered in Canada and threatened in Mexico, but further south its luck has been better, as clearing of land for agriculture has expanded its range.  Overall, it is listed as “of least concern” by the IUCN.  It is included in the international CITES law forbidding trading animals, which I believe we covered a couple of weeks ago.  

Finally, these birds are apparently pretty easy to relocate over short distances if the land is needed for other purposes.  A new nesting area with burrows and perches is set up nearby, and one-way trap doors are placed on the burrows.  The owls can leave, but cannot return, and will find and settle in the new area over the course of several days at the most.  The colony needs to be monitored for a number of months afterward, especially if it was moved for something disruptive like construction, but otherwise this appears to be pretty foolproof, which is nice to know.  

Keep it real, everybody, and have a good weekend.  

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