Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularia

Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularia, Female, Juvenile. Photograph taken within a residential community in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, October 2022. Photograph and identifications courtesy of Faith Hubsch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularia, Juveniles. Photograph taken within a residential community in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, September 2017. Photograph and identifications courtesy of Faith Hubsch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularia. Photograph taken within a residential community in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, October 2022. Photograph and identifications courtesy of Faith Hubsch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularia. Photograph taken in the greater Salton Sea area of Southern California, January 2013. Photograph and identification courtesy of Dr. Tom Bartol, Carlsbad, California.

Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularia. Photographs taken on Marco Island, Florida, January 2019.

Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularia. Photograph taken in the coastal area of Yavaros, Sonora, January 2020. Photograph and identification courtesy of David F Smith, Alamos, Sonora.

The Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularia, is a member of the Strigiadae Family of Owls. They are mid-sized in stature. In Mexico they are found throughout the country except within the the Yucatán Peninsula. From a conservation perspective the Burrowing Owl is currently considered to be of Least Concern with widely distributed populations; however, populations are currently decreasing due to loss of habitat. They are found in open, dry grasslands, agricultural and range lands and desert habitats at elevations between 60 m (200 feet) to 2,700 m (9,000 feet). They utilize burrows for nests and daytime shelter. They are nighttime predators that consume insects and small mammals and a limited number of small birds.