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Athene cunicularia floridana
Cape Coral also has the distinction of having the largest population of the Florida species of the Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia floridana) in the State, with an estimated 1000 nesting pair. At only 5-8.5 ounces and7.5-11 inches tall, the Burrowing Owl is one of the smallest of all the owls, and of the 171 species of owls worldwide, the only owl that lives underground. Unlike the Western species of the Burrowing Owl (athene cunicularia hypugaea) that lives in abandoned prairie dog burrows, here in Florida our Burrowing Owls dig their own burrows. Cape Coral has upwards of 2500 burrows within the City limits, but not all of them are actively being used by owls. While some of the Western Burrowing Owls migrate, the Burrowing Owls here in Cape Coral do not migrate. They are here year round, but often hide in the summer to avoid the hot summer sun. The best time to see the owls is from January through June, and the best time to see the chicks is late April through June.
Spotted on Jun 29, 2012
Submitted on Jun 30, 2012
2 Comments
That's pretty neat...I've only seen Burrowing Owls in your area and I had no idea there were that many! Thanks for the info.
This Owl & it's burrow was in an empty lot but what you see on the left is a PVC pipe that the volunteers here (http://www.ccfriendsofwildlife.org) put around the four corners of the nest to mark and protect them. There are around 2500 burrows in the city of Cape Coral.
From the CC Friends of Wildlife Website:
"Every week on Wednesday mornings, weather permitting, Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife members performs maintenance on some of the nearly 2500 Burrowing Owl burrows located in the City. Armed with City maps, weed wackers, safety equipment, and lots of enthusiasm this group of dedicated volunteers trim burrow with high weeds, install PVC pipes and perches on newly found burrows, repair and clean up existing burrows. They also have obtained GPS coordinates for every known burrow and submitted this information to the City of Cape Coral to be put in the City data base."