Science Corner - Burrowing Owls

Kristie Ehrhardt • August 6, 2025

Do you remember the Haunted Forest in the Wizard of Oz? Most of us probably envision owls as those shadowy birds with the glowing eyes skulking at Dorothy and the gang from the dark tree canopy. True, most owls are nighttime creatures, and they do have large round eyes, but they certainly don’t glow like a red-hot cigarette lighter in a 1985 Oldsmobile. And yes, most species of common owls do roost in trees but, did you know that we have a very special little owl in our region that is active during the day as well as the night and nests and roots in underground burrows?! I realize that the name kind of gives it away but if you guessed Burrowing Owls, pat yourself on the back!

 

Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia) are a small species of owl that belong to the family Strigidae, the same family that includes other owls in our region including Great-horned Owls, Screech Owls and the eared owls. The name Athene comes from the Greek goddess of wisdom and cunicularia translates from Latin to mean miner or burrower - quite literally meaning “wise burrower”.

 

Burrowing Owls are fairly social and although they usually only have one mate at a time, they tend to nest and live in loose colonies. Males and females look alike however males are often lighter in color from sun bleaching as they spend more time outdoors while the females remain underground with the young. Both sexes average between seven and 11 inches long with wingspans of about 20-24 inches. They weigh five to eight ounces with females weighing slightly more than males. Both males and females lack ear tufts and have a flattened facial disk with prominent white eyebrows. Their large eyes are bright yellow, and their beaks are dark yellow to gray. Their heads, backs and wings are sandy brown with white mottling, and their abdomens and chests are a buffy brownish-gray with white barring. Juveniles look similar but lack the white mottling or barring. If you ask me, one of their most endearing physical traits are their long legs. Burrowing Owls prefer open areas and their lengthy legs allow them to perch on the ground and still keep watch over their surroundings. When disturbed, or even if they think they might be disturbed, agitated owls will bob up and down while chirping and giving whatever they’re perceiving as a threat the death stare. If that isn’t enough to intimidate the presumed threat, the owl will simply fly off. Another fascinating behavior is Burrowing Owls’ love of decor. They will collect things they find interesting and decorate the entrance of their burrow. These items often include flower petals, shiny things such as bottle caps, bits of beetle exoskeleton, and small rocks. Sometimes Burrowing Owls will collect scat from larger animals which in turn attracts dung beetles that become a “door dash” snack delivery for the owls.

 

Being active during both the day and night hours helps the owls to secure different food sources; prey species include insects, amphibians and small lizards during the day and small mammals at night.

 

There are several subspecies of Burrowing owls but the genus as a whole has historically occurred from southwestern Canada, the western United States (minus the humid Pacific Northwest) into Mexico and east into Florida, in Central America, some Caribbean Islands and in most of South America. Most populations of Burrowing Owls do not migrate but those that occupy the northern end of their range may migrate seasonally to avoid the cold winter months (I would too!). Their habitat preferences include open or grazed areas with shorter vegetation such as dry pastures, prairies, open grasslands, savannas with an established burrowing mammal population to provide underground nesting locations for the owls. Burrowing Owls are extremely adaptable and have also occupied urban areas such as airports, golf courses, grassy areas in highway interchanges, parks, schools, parking lots and even landfills and other other relatively undisturbed urban and suburban areas. Most individuals do not excavate their own burrows but rather take over abandoned mammal burrows including those dug by ground squirrels, prairie dogs and badgers. Some populations and subspecies will dig their own burrows or enhance those made by other species if the soil is not rocky or compact. Burrowing Owls have been documented utilizing man-made burrows as well.

 

The subspecies found in our region is the Western Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea). Once widely disturbed across California, habitat loss as a result of urbanization, ground squirrel population decline, pesticide use, predation from coyotes, foxes, badgers, feral cats and changes in land use practices have resulted in drastic population declines since the 1980’s. Several attempts have been made to give the Western Burrowing Owl protection as a special-status species, however, as of yet it has not been afforded any official lasting protection.

 

If you’ve had the pleasure of observing burrowing owls you know exactly how charismatic they can be. If you haven’t seen them do keep your eyes open for them, you’ll be glad you did!


-Kristie Ehrhardt (kehrhardt@tuleyome.org)

Tuleyome Land Conservation Program Manager

RECENT ARTICLES

Wildfires and California Oaks – Nature and You Lectures

By Geoff Benn • October 7, 2026
Blue oaks on the Berryessa Peak Trail. Photo by Geoff Benn. Our September Nature and You speaker was Tuleyome Education Associate Geoff Benn, who gave a lecture on one of his favorite subjects, California’s amazing oaks. In the lecture, Geoff discussed how California’s oaks evolved and how they deal with a range of challenges, including drought, fire, and diseases. If you missed it, be sure to check out his talk here. 

Welcome Interns!

By Geoff Benn • October 7, 2026
Interns Deana Martinez, Yaquelin Gonzalez, Gabriella Limon, Ben Hubbard, and Keira Lazaro at Woodland Regional Park Preserve. Tuleyome is excited to welcome our largest ever cohort of interns, including four Horticultural Interns and one Communications Intern! Our Horticultural Interns are paired with volunteer mentors at Woodland Regional Park Preserve where they learn about managing invasive plants and monitoring populations of rare native plants. This year’s mentors are Jennifer Hogan and Teri Barry, both longtime volunteers and leadership team members at the Preserve. Our Communications Intern works closely with Program Director Nate Lillge to shape and execute our communications, including social media, e-newsletters, and more. Keep reading to meet each of our interns: Horticultural Intern Yaquelin Gonzalez has lived within the bounds of Sacramento County her whole life, where her mother’s garden and love for rock collecting sparked her appreciation for nature. Her desire to enter the environmental field was further fueled via nature-based field trips during elementary school. After high school, she began studying at American River College and eventually transferred to the University of California, Davis in 2025 to study Environmental Science and Management, focusing on Ecology, Biodiversity, and Conservation. Here, she has gained an interest in soil science as well as plant ecology and hopes to pursue a research career in restoration ecology. In her spare time, she likes to go on nature walks, play the guitar, read, bake, and listen to podcasts. Horticultural Intern Ben Hubbard grew up in Roseville, California where he spent a lot of time outdoors with friends, competing in sports, hiking, as well as instructing elementary school field trips about the environment, specifically wetlands. He just recently transferred from Sierra College to the University of California, Davis and is working towards completing his Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Management with a specialization in Ecology. When he completes his education, he hopes he can make a difference in the world and help to preserve wildlife and natural land for the next generation to enjoy as much as he has. When he’s taking a break from studying you can find him practicing with his recreational sports team, grabbing a coffee, hiking, enjoying a good story, or just hanging out with friends. Horticultural Intern Keira Lazaro is a third year undergraduate at University of California, Davis where she majors in Environmental Toxicology. She’s specializing in pharmacology and biotechnology with hopes to work in a research lab on specific pathogens that attack native California crops. She is also a part of the University Honors Program in Davis and is taking the first couple of steps towards her fourth year signature work on the oxidation chemistry behind electronic cigarette devices, specifically with exposure in indoor environments. Keira grew up in Los Angeles County and hopes to find a career in Southern California once she graduates. When she is able to go back home she spends most of her free time at the beach or hiking. Communications Intern Gabriella Limon grew up in Bishop, California, within the Sierra Nevada and Owens Valley where she became connected with wildlife and stewardship. She spent her later teenage years in Southern California and committed to the University of California, Davis, where she is currently pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning with a focus on conservation management. In addition, she is also a scholar staff member of the UC Davis Women’s Resources and Research Center where she provides STEM-based programming and academic support to students of marginalized identities. Gabby is especially passionate about wildlife justice, land protection, and environmental education. She spends her free time writing, playing video games, tide pooling, hiking, and logging critters. Horticultural Intern Deana Martinez grew up in Arbuckle, California, surrounded by rice fields and almond orchards, which grew her interests in agriculture. She is currently in her 4th year at the University of California, Davis, where she is pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Entomology with a Soil Science minor. Along with classes, she is involved in a Nematology research lab, working with plant parasitic nematodes and their interactions with common crop systems in California. She has also held a student position with the Plant Biology research greenhouses as a technician for the past 3 years. Outside of school and work, Deana enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with her family.

Policy Corner: California Fights Back on Endangered Species Protections

By Shai Demus • October 7, 2026
California’s condors and sea otters are two of conservation’s great comeback stories – species that were once on the brink of extinction and have rebounded thanks in large part to the Endangered Species Act (ESA). That 50-year-old law is now facing one of the most significant rollbacks in its history, and California is fighting back in court. Last week, Attorney General Rob Bonta, joined by a coalition of 21 state attorneys general, filed two lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s recent changes to the ESA. At the center of the fight is a single but enormously consequential change: the administration rescinded the longstanding definition of “harm” under the Act – a definition that, since the early 1980s, has made it illegal to destroy or damage the places endangered species live, breed, and feed. Without it, habitat destruction itself may no longer count as illegal “harm” to a species, even though most biologists agree habitat loss is the single biggest threat facing endangered species today. The changes don’t stop there. The administration is also making it easier for federal agencies to avoid designating “critical habitat” for at-risk species, and it has eliminated automatic protections for newly-listed threatened species – meaning wildlife officials must now write custom protection rules for each species one at a time. That’s a heavy lift for an agency that has reportedly lost more than a third of its staff, and which currently has 400 species waiting for a protection decision. Why this matters here at home California is home to more threatened and endangered species than any other state. It’s natural to assume the state’s own Endangered Species Act would fill any gap left by federal rollbacks – but legal experts point out that California’s law, as written, doesn’t clearly protect habitat at all. It primarily prohibits killing or injuring individual members of a listed species, not damaging the places they live. That means the very thing under threat federally – habitat protection – may not have a reliable backstop at the state level either. What this means for our work At Tuleyome, so much of what we do, protecting oak woodlands, wildlife corridors, and watershed habitat across our region – depends on the basic principle that a species' home matters as much as the species itself. A condor or a Clear Lake hitch can’t survive court-ordered protection from hunting alone if the habitat it depends on is quietly bulldozed, drilled, or logged out from under it. This lawsuit is about defending that basic principle at the federal level, and it’s a reminder of why local land protection and legislative advocacy matters now more than ever – because the safety net above us may have real holes in it.