Burrowing Owl

Description:

Burrowing owls are active and alert in the daylight but still do most of their hunting at night. They do try to stay out of the heat by going in to their dens. Small owl with dark yellow or gray beak with bright yellow eyes. Almost flat looking heads and light colored feathers that look like eyebrows and mustaches. Head and wings are brown with white spotting. Chest and belly mostly white with brown spots and barring. No ear tuft as with other owls and short tail. Small in body but has longer legs compared to other owls.

Habitat:

They do not live in trees but live entirely in abandon in holes of pairie dogs, ground squirrels and other large rodents. Found mostly on pairies, open fields and meadows with low growing vegetation. Usually they try to find holes near some kind of mounds to keep a vigil.

Notes:

I will try to get some of it out on a mound but this one felt like staying at home. This one is protected by the regional park with signs keeping people out of the area as not to disturb it. Though not yet on the endangered list thes birds are declining in population due to the reduction of their habitats.