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BURROWING OWL
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Athene cunicularia
HOUSE NAME: "Fergie" female, "Clive" male
DESCRIPTION: Long- legged, small, sandy colored with bright-yellow eyes. Typically, they are brown with sandy colored spots or bars on the belly. They have a white throat and eyebrows. Unlike other owls, the male and female are roughly the same size. They weigh in at about 5.3 ounces, are between 7.5-9.8 inches tall and have a wingspan of 21.6 inches.
HABITAT: They live in open habitats of prairie, pastures, and deserts. They are making use of airport land as well. They are closely associated with prairie dogs, desert tortoises, and ground squirrels as they use their burrows for nests.
Found throughout North and South America. Migration patterns range from Canada down to Mexico. With some staying year-round in the warmer areas of the southern part of the United States and Northern Mexico, and a large portion of South America.
CONSERVATION STATUS: Least Concern
FUN FACT: Burrowing owls are diurnal, meaning they are active mostly during the day. They spend most of their time near the ground, if frightened rather than fly away, they will flatten themselves or run.
DIET: Diet generally consists of small birds, reptiles, fish, rodents, and large insects.
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