|
Name: Burrowing owl | |
| Scientific name: Athene cunicularia | ||
| Range:All of North and Central America | ||
| Habitat: grasslands and deserts | ||
| Status: Not threatened | ||
| Diet in the wild: rodents, insects and small birds | ||
| Diet in the zoo: mice | ||
| Location in the zoo: Texas Wild! In the panhandle section. |
Physical description: 
These owls have white eyebrows yellow
eyes and long legs.They lack the eartufts common to most owls.They are
sandy colored with with white to cream barring on their chest.
Photo
courtesy of Cathy Hughes |
 General
information:
Burrowing Owls can build their own homes,but they prefer to live in old prairie dog holes. Often many owls live togather in a social group. They are active both day and night and can often be seen standing guard outside their burrows. |
| Special anatomical, physiological
or behavioral adaptations: Burrowing owls fly with irregular wing beats.They hover during hunting and courtship,and may flap their wings asynchronously (not up and down together). Juveniles can give a rattlesnake like buzz when threatened. This fools preadators into thinking that there is somthing a lot more dangerous than an owlet in the burrow. |
Juvenile burrowing owl courtesy of The Owl Pages |
| Comments about the burrowing owls of Texas Wild!:
These owls are part of an interactive exhibit that includes other animals native to the Texas panhandle. They share their exhibit space with prairie dogs, whose burrows they may "borrow" when living in the wild. |
| Personal Observations:
These owls are great to watch, they are active all day and sit out on their mounds looking really serious. |
Source Materials and Related Links,.
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 Samantha
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