We are almost 3 days into spring and so far it seems like winter just does not want to let go. Here in New Jersey we’ve been hit with another nor’easter (or “Four-easter” as the news has been calling it). The last two days have been snow days for me, which of course I appreciate, but I really just want it to feel like spring.
Spring “Winter” Weather (Image by BirdNation)
All this winter weather has given me time to reflect on my winter birding this year. I’d have to say that this is probably my most successful birding winter to date. In January I started a “Year List”, where I write down each species I see for the first time in 2018. From January 1st to March 8th I have observed 81different species. A lot of people don’t realize that there are still a lot birds around in the winter (especially waterfowl), but even I didn’t realize how many there actually were! 5 of these 81 species were life list birds for Dave and I. Here are some of our 2018 winter birding highlights:
2 Snowies at the Brigantine Unit of Forsythe on February 25 when our camera died (so just bad cell phones pics of them).
1 this past Sunday, March 18. It’s probably one of the same Snowies from February, but this time our camera worked! Dave a got a pretty decent shot for how far out the bird was.
Snowy Owl 12/24/17 (Image by David Horowitz)
Snowy Owl 3/18/18 (Image by David Horowitz)
This year’s Snowy Mega Irruption certainly treated us well. I feel so lucky to have seen so many Snowies in one season!
In my past life (the non-birding one lol), I used to hate winter. In my new awesome birding life, winters are the best! So many cool birds to see, you just need to get on your cold weather gear and find them.
Now that spring has arrived (“supposedly” ha), I’m looking forward to seeing home many species I add to my year list.
What are some of your favorite winter birding moments of 2018? Tell me about them in the comments.
There’s something about the end of a calendar year that puts people in a reflective mood. Many people like to think back on the past year and establish goals for the future year.
2017 was a wonderful birding year for Dave and I. We went birding in 5 states, saw some cool rarities, and spent tons of time enjoying nature. So since it’s New Year’s Eve, I wanted to share my favorite birds and birding moments of 2017.
Our first Barnegat Light trip of 2017 included our first time seeing Red-breasted Mergansers at the lighthouse, our first ever Ipswich Savannah Sparrows, and a lone Black Skimmer!
May was filled with tons of great birding moments! Some favorites included: our first Prairie Warbler and hearing a Barred Owl, going on vacation in Maryland and Delaware, and seeing our first Great Horned Owlet.
Prairie Warbler (Image by David Horowitz)
June:
In June we got to reconnected with one of our favorite local celebrities, American Oystercatcher T2 of Barnegat Light, who had a family in tow. We also saw our first Northern Bobwhite and a Least Tern nest!
‘Twas the day before Christmas, and out near the dunes,
Were the gulls, long-tailed ducks, the brants, and the loons;
The birders looked all ’round the beach and the air,
In hopes that a Snowy Owl would be there.
AND GUESS WHAT?
Snowy Owl (Image by David Horowitz)
We found it!!!!
(***Please note: the image above was taken at a far and safe distance and was heavily cropped.)
Dave and I went to Long Beach Island this morning to look for a Snowy Owl that was being reported at the Holgate section of Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge on Long Beach Island. We tried tracking down some Snowies at Island Beach State Park a few weeks ago (where there 2 are being tracked/studied by Project SNOWstorm), but didn’t find them. So I was hoping we’d have a bit of a Christmas Eve miracle…and we did.
We scanned the dunes with our binoculars while walking along the beach (making sure not to go on them of course!). After about 20 minutes of walking there was no Snowy to be found. Dave asked how far out I wanted to walk since the beach is at least 3 miles out. I said a little farther, because I had a feeling that today was going to be the day.
And then we spotted something in the grass a good distance away. It was pretty far, so at first we weren’t quite sure if we found the owl. We were cautiously optimistic, trying not to get too excited if it turned out to be something else. But as we quietly made our way down the beach it became clear that it really was the owl.
We watched the Snowy from a distance for a few minutes. It was absolutely beautiful. The owl peeked at us through its sleepy eyes then continued to rest. It was breathtaking to see such a magnificent bird. I always dreamed of seeing a Snowy, and I’m so thankful I had an opportunity to spend a few minutes in its presence.
It’s certainly a Christmas Eve that I’ll never forget.
It’s that time of year again: Snowy Owl irruption! Many birders across regions of the United States have been observing these black-and-white owls very far away from their home in the tundra.
There’s something magical about the Snowy Owl. These beautiful birds capture our imaginations each winter. Snowy Owls breed high in the arctic and subarctic tundra zones of Canada, so it’s no wonder seeing a Snowy Owl in the United States is a huge deal. So why are these owls showing up further south from their usual winter range?
By pe_ha45 [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia CommonsSnowies are well-equipped for life in the cold, barren tundra. Once breeding season is over the owls typically either: 1. stay at the breeding grounds 2. go even farther north! or 3. move south throughout Canada and the upper Great Plains of the US. But for reasons still be studied, some years Snowies irrupt further south into the United States. An irruption is an unpredictable migration of a large number of birds. Small Snowy Owl irruptions usually happen every 4-5 years, but rarely there are “mega-irruptions”.
Why do these irruptions occur? Scientist don’t quite know, which is where programs like Project SNOWstorm come in. Project SNOWstorm was co-founded by Scott Weidensaul. Since Snowy Owl irruptions are so mysterious, Project SNOWstorm aims to study this phenomenon in order to conserve these marvelous birds.
One thing we do know for certain is that there are some popular myths surrounding Snowy Owls and irruptions. One of the biggest misconceptions is that Snowies irrupt because they are hungry, mainly from a lack of lemmings (one of their main food source). Recent studies have found that the opposite is true: there’s an overabundance of food.
A successful breeding season depends on good lemming populations. When the population drops, these birds may breed less or not at all. But when there’s a boon of lemmings, the owl population soars as well. An average clutch of eggs is between 5-7, but can be as high as 11 in boom years (or as low as 3 in lean times). So successful breeding seasons result in more offspring and potentially large irruptions. Many Snowy Owls that arrive in the United States during an irruption are generally healthy and usually tend to be heavier than in non-irruption years.
One of the ways Project SNOWstorm tracks the owls is through GPS-GMS transmitters. The transmitters are solar-powered, and record locations in altitude, latitude, and longitude. They are programmed to record data at 30 second intervals, so the owls are always being tracked. The transmitters only weigh about 40 grams and attach to the bird by a small backpack. The data is sent through cell towers, so when an owl is out of range, the transmitter can store up to 100,000 locations and send the data when the owl is back in range (even years later!).
So far, 52 owls have been tracked throughout the program’s entirety, but there are 7 currently being watched. 3 happen to be here in New Jersey: Island Beach, Higbee, and Lenape. Island Beach and Lenape were both fitted with a transmitters at Island Beach State Park and Higbee at South Cape May Meadows in Cape May. The other current owls are Hilton (Rochester, NY), Sterling (Sterling, NY), Chickatawbut (last detected in Quebec), and Wells (Maine).
Of course, not all the Snowies that irrupt get tracked, so there have been tons of owl sightings throughout the country since November. Dave and I went to Island Beach State Park a few weeks ago looking for Snowies, but were unsuccessful. There’s been reports of Snowy Owls on Long Beach Island, so I would love to see if we can find one over winter break.
What should you do if you happen to see a Snowy Owl? You should keep a respectful distance and never feed the owls. Many Snowy Owls that irrupt are found on beaches (since it resembles the tundra to them), so please, keep off the dunes! Observing Snowy Owl etiquette is extremely important for the health of the owls, while making the experience for birders more enjoyable and safe.
To learn more about Project SNOWstorm, check out their website projectsnowstorm.org.
Have you ever seen a Snowy Owl? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Exciting news before I start the feature: Dave and I saw our first Short-eared Owl a few weeks ago! We were walking along the Delaware River at Palmyra Cove when Dave spotted a male soaring over the river near some gulls. It was pretty overcast so we didn’t get any good pictures, but we watched it for about 10 minutes before it flew over our heads and into the wooded area of the park. It was amazing!
This week’s featured owl is the Barred Owl. Although we have not yet seen one, we did hear a Barred Owl when we hiked at Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve in the Pinelands.
Barred Owl (Strix varia)
Description:
Barred Owls are medium-sized owls that are a little smaller than the Great Horned. These beautiful owls are brown to brown-gray on their upperparts and heads. As their name suggests, their necks, nape, back, wings, tails, and crowns feature white/buffy barring. Barred Owls are tuftless with round heads. Their blacks eyes stand out against their gray facial disks. Juveniles have white natal down until about 2-3 weeks when their adult flight feathers start to develop.
Resident of the United States from the Great Plains to the East Coast. In Canada, found in the southern regions of Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba; through central Saskatchewan and Alberta; throughout British Columbia expanding south to Washington, Idaho, Oregon and northern California. Also found in parts of Mexico.
Habitat:
Woodlands and wooded swamps, including deciduous, mature conifers, and mixed forests. Also does well in older suburban neighbors with a lot of shade trees.
Diet:
Opportunistic hunters. Mainly eats small mammals such as mice, voles, rabbits, shrews, rats, and squirrels. Also hunts small birds, frogs, snakes, lizards, some insects, and aquatic prey. Barred Owls watch prey from a perch or glide low through the forest. They mainly hunt at dusk and dawn. Sometimes they will hover over prey before grabbing it. These owls usually swallow small prey whole, but tears large prey into pieces.
Breeding/Nesting:
Referred to as a “duet”, mating pairs will court by raising wings, bobbing heads, and calling while perched together. Males may also feed the females during courtship. Scientist are unsure whether Barred Owl pairs stay together in the long term, but pairs begin to form in late winter/early spring. Pairs will choose the oldest tree they can find since they are likely to have large cavities, which Barred Owls depend on. Sometimes they will evict other occupants, such as Red-shouldered Hawks, if needed. Barred Owls may also use nest boxes.
The female will incubate a brood of 2-3 eggs for about 28-33 days while the male provides her food. Egg hatching is asynchronous, so the eggs hatch a few days apart. The female will stay with the owlets much of the time while the male feeds them. The young will begin branching (exploring the area around the nest) at around 4-5 weeks and take their first flights at 6 weeks.
Sleepy Barred Owlets from Wild Birds Unlimited/Cornell Lab’s 2015 Barred Owl Cam (Screenshot by BirdNation)
Vocalizations:
Extremely vocal and instantly recognizable. Their loud calls, which are typically described as “Who-cooks-for-you, who-cooks-for-you-aaaaaallllllll!”, are made by males and females. Female’s calls are higher-pitched than the males. Scientists have recently started to study a suite of 13 complex vocalizations.
Conservation:
Still common and widespread. Their range is expanding into central Quebec. These owls were originally only found in the East, but over the past century have dramatically expanded their range into the Northwest. While this may be good for the Barred Owl, it’s having a detrimental effect on its close relative, the Spotted Owl.
Fun Facts:
The Barred Owl’s most dangerous predatory threat is the larger Great Horned Owl. Barred Owls will try to avoid Great Horns since they usually live in the same habitats.
One study done on on Barred Owls in Oregon found that the birds had 95 different species represented as prey items.
They mainly are active at night, but may sometimes hunt during the day more than other owls.
Studies on banded Barred Owls have shown that these owls do not travel much. They are usually found living no more than a few miles away from where they were banded.
Time for the second owl post of the week! Today’s featured owl is the Short-eared Owl, one of the most widespread owls in the world. It’s Latin name is Asio flammeus, translated to “flame-colored horned-owl”.
Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)
Description:
Short-eared owls are sandy-colored, medium-sized owls. Their short ear tufts are so tiny they are almost impossible to see unless you are close to the owl and it’s alarmed or agitated. Their underparts are heavily streaked and their upperparts are brown with white and buff. Males are grayer than females with whiter undersides/underwings. Their facial disks are lightly streaked and whitish with blackish triangular spots around the eyes. Short-eared Owls have very short tails and round heads. Juveniles are downy, and as they start to get adult plumage, their facial disks are black with white crescents with a white “mustache” chin.
Short-eared Owls live throughout most of the Northern Hemisphere, including North America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. They are also found in the southern part of South America and on islands including Micronesia, the Caribbean, Hawaii, and Galapagos. In North America they are residents in the American West, parts of Canada, and Cuba. They spend the summers throughout Canada and winters in the Midwest and Northeast. Irregular irruptions can be found in the Southwest and Southeastern United States. The Caribbean population regularly invades Southern Florida.
Habitat:
Open country, such as grasslands, marshes, prairies, farmland, dunes, and tundra.
Diet:
Mainly meadow voles, but other small mammals such as mice, muskrats, moles, rabbits, pocket voles, and weasels. Also known to eat large insects and small to medium-sized birds. Short-eared Owls hunt most actively during dawn and dusk, but can be found hunting in daylight. They soar low to the ground and hover over their prey before landing on it.
Breeding/Nesting:
Males perform a “sky-dancing” display which include impressive spiraling flights, diving, calling, and wing-clapping. They will start courting in late winter, but pair bonds don’t usually last for the season. Nests are usually just a small depression in the ground, but Short-eared Owls have be occasionally known to also nest in trees with Long-eared Owls.
Short-eared Owls have one brood per year with the average clutch size of 5-6 eggs. However, when prey is abundant, it’s possible for the female to lay up to 11 eggs. The female incubates the eggs for 21- 31 eggs and hatching is asynchronous (meaning the eggs hatch over a number of days, not at the same time). The male will bring food to the female who will feed and brood the owlets. The owlets will usually leave the nest on foot at 12-18 days and can start to fly around 27 days.
Vocalizations:
Bark calls are given by both females and males, a nasal and harsh eee-YUURK! that can be short or drawn out, or a short rik-rikr-rik!. Males hoot during courtship activities.
Short-eared Owl (Image by Gregg Thompson via birdnote.org)
Conservation:
Still widespread, but have declined by 50-80% in its North American range, mainly due to the fact that these owls are grassland specialists. They are listed as “endangered” or “special concern” in 26 states. They are still relatively widespread in other parts of their range. The Caribbean populations of Short-eared Owls have been expanding. Habitat restoration program have help populations improve.
Fun Facts:
They are one of the few owl species to construct their own nests.
Hawaii’s only native owl is the Pueo, a subspecies of the Short-eared Owl.
Males can be extremely aggressive towards other males in the territories. They will duel by flying towards each other, locking talons and tumbling to the ground. They let go right before they hit the ground.
Happy Halloween everyone! Or should I say happy “Owl-o-ween” instead? I apologize that I didn’t have time to write an Owl Wednesday last week, so I wanted to make it up with a special owl post for Halloween.
Owls are mainly nocturnal, so many people associate them with darkness and mystery. At this time of year it’s not uncommon to the see owls in scary movies/shows and on Halloween decorations. It’s easy to see why people would find an owl in the night menacing. They have large glowing eyes, bellowing calls, and heads that they can make turn up to 270 degrees. Since ancient times, owls have fascinated cultures around the world and have become part of their folklore and superstitions.
Here are few spooky Halloween superstitions:
Owls and witches are often associated with each other. Some people believed that owls were used as messengers by sorcerers and witches. The Romans believed that witches could turn themselves into owls and swoop onto newborns to suck their blood.
The Hopi Indians believed that Burrowing Owls, called Ko’ko, were the protectors of the Underworld and the gods of death.
Many cultures have associated owls with death. An Appalachian mountain legend states that if you hear an owl call after midnight then death is coming. Many European plays and poems use owls as the symbol for destruction and death. However, a British Isle legend states that if you find an owl feather, you can use it to repel the negative forces that seeing an owl can bring.
Owls are often connected with sorcery in parts of Africa. If an owl is tied to a house, then it’s said that a powerful shaman dwells there. Owls also help shamans communicate with the spirit world.
In England, an owl screeching on a cold night meant that there was an impending storm.
Not all legends about owls are negative though:
The Aborigines from Australia consider owls sacred and think they are the spirits of women. Therefore, if you see an owl on the way to harvest, it will be good year for crops.
Some Indian cultures, such as the Dakota Hidatsa and Lenape thought of owls as protective spirits and guardians, especially for brave warriors. The Tlingit tribe would go into battle hooting like owls to strike fear in their enemies.
Athena, the Greek Goddess of wisdom, choose the owl as her one of her favorite birds after banishing the mischievous crow. Her owl was the Little Owl (Athene noctua) and they lived in abundance throughout the Acropolis. It was believed that owls had an “inner light” that gave them ability to see in the dark. Athena’s owls were a symbols of guidance, protection, and wisdom. It was said that if an owl flew over a Greek army, then victory would be forthcoming.
Some of my favorite legends from the Pacific Northwest tribes are about the Raven, a magical creature who is considered both a hero and a trickster. There is an Inuit legend about the Raven and the Snowy Owl. Here’s one variation of this tale: the Raven and the Owl were making clothes for each other. The Raven made the Owl a lovely dress of black and white feathers. In return, the Owl made Raven whale-bone boots and a white dress. Owl tried to fit Raven’s dress, but Raven could not stay still. Owl became so frustrated that she threw a pot of lamp oil at Raven. The oil soaked through the dress and that’s how the Raven became black.
The folklore I listed above is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to owl mythology. Owls have been both admired and fear of hundreds of years, but through scientific research we know that owls are a vital part of the ecosystems in which they live. One thing is certain: that owls have captured our imaginations and will continue to do so.
Last week we learned about one of the tallest owls in the world, the Great Gray Owl. This week we’ll go to the other extreme: the Elf Owl, which is the smallest owl in the world.
Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi)
Description:
Standing at around 5 inches in length, the Elf Owl is no larger than a sparrow or small thrush. These tiny owls have brown/gray upperparts and white/cinnamon colored barred stripes on its underparts. Their legs are relatively long and covered with small bristles. Elf Owls have piercing yellow eyes that are surrounded by a black rim. Over the eyes there is a narrow white eyebrow. Other owl species have 12 tail feathers, but Elf Owls have only 10 tail feathers.
Elf Owl (Image via birds-of-north-america.net)
Range:
Resident of Baja, California and Central Mexico. Breeds (summer) in parts of Arizona, New Mexcio, Texas, and Mexico. Winters in Mexico.
Habitat:
Sonoran saguaro deserts, large mesquites, wood canyons, riparian woods, montane forests of oak, thorn-scrub. Does surprisingly well in suburbs, but urbanization is a threat to this species.
Diet:
Almost entirely insects, scorpions, spiders, but may rarely eat small vertebrates such as rodents, lizards, and small snakes. Elf Owls are crepuscular, meaning they forage most actively at dawn and dusk. They forage while flying, hovering, swerving, or grabbing insects off of trees.
Elf Owl with a scorpion (Image via pinterest)
Breeding/Nesting:
When male Elf Owls return to their breeding grounds, they will pick multiple potential nesting sites. Females will arrive later, and the male will sing from his cavity entrance to attract her attention. Once the female approaches, the male will continue to sing from inside his cavity to convince the female to go in and mate.
Elf Owls do not make their own cavities. In their Sonoran desert habitat, they rely on existing holes from woodpeckers such as the Acorn, Ladder-backed, and Gila Woodpeckers. In other habitats, they will nest in whatever large trees are available such as cottonwoods and sycamores. Although Elf Owls only stay with a mating partner for one season, they may use the same nest site for up to 3 years.
The female will incubate 3 white eggs for about 2 weeks (although 1-5 eggs is possible). She starts incubating once the second egg is laid. The hatching is asychronous; the first 2 eggs tend to hatch together while the third hatches a few days later. The owlets will nest for about 4 weeks. The parents will encourage the young to fledge by withholding food. An astounding fact about Elf Owls is that they have around a 90% nest rate, the highest of any owl in the world.
Vocalizations:
The males are known for a “chatter call”, 6 or 7 rapid squeaky notes that are higher pitched in the middle.
Conservation:
Locally common or abundant in manyareas of it’s range, but sharply declined in the lower Colorado River. Population trends are unclear, but they face threats such as urbanization, habitat loss, frequency of wild fires, and droughts.
Fun Facts:
There are 4 subspecies: M. w. whitneyi, M. w. sadfordi, M. w. grayson, and M. w. idonea.
It’s assumed that owls migrate individually, but there’s some evidence that Elf Owls may sometimes migrate in small flocks.
This week’s featured owl is the captivating and mysterious Great Gray Owl of the northern boreal forests.
Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa)
Great Gray Owls are one of the tallest owls in the world, standing at around 3 feet tall with a 5 foot wingspan. But don’t let it’s height fool you; it’s body size is an illusion. Weighting at only 2.5 pounds, Great Gray Owls have a small body core and an impressive number of fluffy feathers that make them seem bigger than they really are. Other North American owls, such as the Snowy Owl and Great Horned Owl are much larger in mass.
Cross-section taxidermy from the Zoological Museum in Copenhagen shows it’s body core compared to its feathers (Image by FunkMonk via wikimedia commons)
These owls sport beautiful silvery gray, white, and brown plumage. They have long tails and huge facial disks that have gray and brown concentric circles. In between their bright yellow eyes, Great Gray Owls have two pale arcs that form an “X” shape. Another distinctive feature is the white “bow tie”, which are patches of white feathers on their throats. Females are slightly larger and darker than males.
Range:
Canada and the Pacific Northwest, as well as Scandinavia, Mongolia, Russia, and Siberia. When food is scarce, some owls will irrupt southeast to the northern Midwestern and Northeastern regions of the United States. An irruption is an irregular migration to a location that is not normally part of a bird’s range, usually due to food scarcity.
Habitat:
Boreal forest, also know as taiga, with a combination of mixed woods/conifers and openings such as sedge meadows and wetlands in lowland areas. Also fir and pine forest next to montanemeadows (ecosystems with seasonally moist to waterlogged soil)
Diet:
Mainly small mammals, such as voles, pocket squirrels, mice, weasels, and other rodents. A small percentage of their diet is other birds. Great Gray Owls have terrific hearing and will mainly hunt by sound while sitting on a perch or gliding silently over the snow. Their large facial disks help them focus the sound, and they use their asymmetrical ears to locate the prey. They will plunge over a foot into snow to catch rodents. These owls mainly hunt at dusk and dawn.
Great Gray Owl (Image via pinterest)
Breeding/Nesting:
Great Gray Owls do not build their own nests, they use abandoned raptor or corvid nests. They generally choose a nest near an open bog or meadow. Pairs are monogamous during breeding season. Males will feed the female as a courtship behavior and the pair will allopreen (preen each other).
Snow depth seems to determine when a female will lay eggs. Depending on the region egg laying can take place anywhere between mid-March and late May. Females will start incubating the eggs after the first one is laid. A brood may have between 2-5 eggs. After 28-36 days of incubation by the female, the eggs will hatch. The male will supply the food while the female feeds the young for about 3 weeks. At that point, the owlets may start to slowly venture from the nest. The female will usually abandon them to be taken care of by the male after they owlets fledge. Great Gray Owls generally have 1 brood, but may breed multiple times if prey is abundant.
Vocalizations:
Deep, powerful whoos that may be repeated up to 10 times and descend in pitch towards the end. Females are higher-pitched than the males. A bi-syllabic contact call: doo-it doo-it.
Conservation/Status:
Due to their elusive nature, it’s difficult for ornithologists to get a clear number on population. Estimates are around 31,000 individuals in North America. They are considered “vulnerable” in some areas. The greatest threat to Great Gray Owls is timber harvest, and land management programs are in place to protect their habitat. It’s unclear how climate change and its effect on rodent populations will impact Great Gray Owls.
Fun Facts:
Most of the year these owls are nocturnal, but they tend to be more diurnal in the summer and midwinter. Some scientist believe their proportionally small eye-size contributes to a partially-diurnal lifestyle.
Great Gray Owls tend to be less aggressive than other raptors in general, but will fiercely defend their nests and young. They are also one of the few owls that have been documented in performing distraction displays to lure intruders away.
The Great Gray Owl is the provincial bird of Manitoba.
This week for Owl Wednesday I chose the Burrowing Owl. Why? Just Google “Burrowing Owl” and look at the images. Cuteness abounds. You won’t be disappointed. 🙂
Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)
Description:
Burrowing Owls are small owls (about blue jay-sized) with long legs and short tails. These brown and white birds are mottled/spotted on their underparts and horizontally barred on their upper parts. Their facial disk features a prominent white eyebrow and a white lower margin below the bill. Burrowing Owls have bright yellow eyes, but some juveniles in the Florida population have olive or brown eyes that may transition to a gold color with brown spots. Burrowing Owls are the only North American owls that are non-reversed size dimorphic. This means they are the only owl species where the males are larger than the females in measurement. These owls are also unique because they are diurnal (active during the day), although they can be nocturnal as well.
Range:
Western population north to south from Canada to Arizona/New Mexico and west to east from California through the Midwestern states are migratory/partially migratory. They winter in Texas, parts of Central America, and South America. Populations in the Southwest, the northern part of Central America, Florida, and the Caribbean are residents.
Open places, such as prairie lands, range lands, deserts, coastlines, open scrubland, golf course, sage brush, pastures, road sides, agricultural fields, vacant lots, housing developments. They are usually found with prairie dog towns of the West, but have become closely associated with humans due to habitat loss.
Diet:
Mainly insects. Rodents, small birds, lizards, snakes, beetles, grasshoppers. Sometimes jackrabbits, cottontails, and young prairie dogs. They catch prey with their talons by walking, running, flying, and hovering. They hunt most actively at dusk and dawn.
Breeding/Nesting:
As their name suggests, Burrowing Owls nest in burrows underground. They are the only owl in the world to consistently do so. These owls are semi-colonial, so they can be found nesting closely in small groups. Many owls in the Western population depend on existing burrows from prairie dogs, ground squirrels, armadillos, and other ground-nesting mammals. However, there are not many large burrowing animals in the Florida population, so they tend to excavate their own nests.
Burrowing Owls have 1 brood per year, with a clutch size of typically between 4-9 eggs. Some females will begin to incubate once they lay their first egg, but some Canadian females wait until half the clutch is laid. Eggs are incubated for about a month and owlets will come above ground starting at around 2 weeks. The young fledge at about 6-7 weeks old. Burrowing Owls will return to their breeding grounds between mid-March through May, and owlets tend to disperse in late summer.
Burrowing Owl Family (Image by animalspot.net/burrowing-owl.html)
Vocalizations:
2 or 3 note wa-WAAH-oo by male. Females respond with eep!. Famous for “rattlesnake rasp” given by nesting females and owlet, which makes these birds sound almost exactly like a rattlesnake. Alarm chatter is WEEt-whit-whit-whit with typically 5-7 sharp notes.
Status/Conservation:
Populations have decreased over time. Listed as endangered in Canada, and although not listed under the Endangered Species Act, considered endangered in 15 of the 19 states where they live. Threats include habitat loss, prairie dog/ground squirrel control programs, agricultural practices, pesticides, and collisions with vehicles. Artificial nesting sites, protective legislation, and habitat preservation programs have all aided Burrowing Owls to recover in some areas.
Fun Facts:
Burrowing Owls will line the entrance of their burrows with dry manure. Some scientist believe dung is used to attract beetles and other insects for food, while others think its to mask their scent to mammals. However, they will line their burrows with other items such as corn cobs, pieces of bone, feathers, metal foil, bottle caps, and other man-made trash.
The species name, cunicularia, derives from the Latin word cunicularius, meaning “burrower” or “miner”.
DNA microsatellite analysis shows that there are many genetic differences between the Western and Florida subspecies. The evidence from this study suggests that these species diverged approximately 350,000 years ago.
All other small owls have vertical breast markings, while Burrowing Owls have horizontal barring.
Burrowing Owls (Image from vk.com via Gary Nealy Jr./Pinterest)
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