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| Burrowing Owl |  |
Status: There is an overall decline of this species in the Great Plains of the U.S., where burrowing owls are strongly associated with prairie dog towns; they are an endangered species in Canada.
Habitat/Range: The burrowing owl prefers open grasslands, especially prairie, plains and savanna. It breeds in southern and western Canada and throughout the western U.S. and central Mexico. An isolated population occurs in Florida.
Threats: The primary threats across its North American range are habitat loss and fragmentation due to the incursion of agriculture and urban encroachment, and habitat degradation from the extermination of small mammals like prairie dogs and squirrels. Increases in predators such as foxes, badgers and coyotes are also taking a toll.
Restoration Potential: Restoration hinges on sustaining burrowing mammal populations, particularly prairie dogs and squirrels, to provide adequate habitat.
Places We Are Protecting:
- Ramona Grasslands, California
- Saltillo Grasslands Protected Area, Mexico
- Janos Grasslands, Mexico
- Bohart Ranch/ Chico Basin, Colorado
- Western High Plains/ Pawnee National Grassland in Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska
- Fox Ranch/ Arikaree River, Colorado
- Matador Ranch, Montana
- Smokey Valley Ranch/ Chalk Bluffs, Kansas
- Cherry Ranch/ Sioux Prairie, Nebraska
- Missouri Coteau, Canada
- Bitter Creek, Montana/ Grasslands National Park, Canada
Learn More:
View a species management abstract for this bird.
Illustrations by David Allen Sibley from The National Audubon Society: The Sibley Guide to Birds published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. Copyright © 2000 by Chanticleer Press and David Allen Sibley. No illustrations may be copied, reproduced, or reused without the express written permission of the copyright holders.
