A small owl with long legs, found in open habitats with brush. From a distance, it appears brown with irregular white spots. It has yellow eyes and is typically found on the ground or perched on fence posts or rocks. Active during both day and night, it primarily hunts insects and small mammals. When agitated, it stands upright and abruptly leans down. It nests in a burrow, often excavated by prairie dogs or turtles.
Order: Strigiformes | Family: Strigidae
Scientific name: Athenea cunicularia
Common name: Murruco, búho, lechuza, burrowing owl
Best season for burrowing owl: All year round
Description
A small owl that inhabits the ground. Its total size ranges from 19 to 25 cm; it has long and sparsely feathered legs. It features a round head without ear tufts. Distinctive oval facial disc framed by a wide band of pale buff color that extends from the eyebrow to the malar region on the inside. The iris is usually bright, lemon-yellow. It has relatively long and rounded wings, with 10 primaries barred in brown and pale buff (the three outermost primaries have wavy internal barring); a short tail with 12 tail feathers barred in brown and pale buff. The back is brown; the back, scapulars, and crown are profusely spotted with pale buff. The throat and under-tail coverts are white; the rest of the adult’s underparts are pale buff with broad brown bars on both sides.
Habitat
The suitable habitat throughout the breeding area generally includes open, treeless areas within grassland, steppe, and desert biomes. They typically inhabit gently sloping areas characterized by low and sparse vegetation (e.g., James et al. 1991, Clayton and Schmutz 1999). They are often associated with high densities of burrowing mammals, such as prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.). In addition to “natural” breeding habitats, they regularly utilize areas such as agricultural fields, golf courses, cemeteries, road margins, airports, vacant urban lots, and fairgrounds. The presence of potential burrows for nesting is a critical requirement for the hypugaea subspecies (Thomsen 1971, Martin 1973c, Zarn 1974, Wedgwood 1978, Haug 1985b, Poulin et al. 2005).
