Burrowing Owl

Burrowing Owls, Missouri Coteau, Saskatchewan (Photo courtesy of Nature Saskatchewan)

The Burrowing Owl is easily recognized by its long legs, short tail and small size, and can often be found standing on fence posts or on the ground foraging for mice, grasshoppers and other insects. It arrives on the prairies in April, with new owlets emerging from burrows in late June and early July before migrating to wintering grounds in the southern United States and Mexico in September.

The owl receives its name from its characterisic habit of using abandoned burrows of mammals such as prairie dogs and badgers in which to build its nest. It requires short vegetation and permanent cover around burrows, but relies on thicker stands of grasses for foraging.  Because of the owl’s need for different types of cover, pastureland being grazed in varying intensities is needed for this species' survival.  

With less than 1,000 breeding pairs of this endangered prairie species remaining in Canada, the Burrowing Owl is listed as endangered. The Canadian Wildlife Service predicts that, unless its declining population trends are reversed, the Burrowing Owl will be extirpated within a few decades. NCC's work in preserving key nesting habitat in the Missouri Coteau and in Alberta's Sage Creek Uplands is ensuring that this owl has a fighting chance at survival.

To find out more about one of the species that makes the burrows for the owl - click here