Wed November 28, 2012 The Burrowing Owl Conservation Network E -
The Environmental Magazine Dear EarthTalk: What is the Burrowing
Owl Conservation Network and why is it so important to put so
much effort into saving one species? -- Ginny Bateman, Portland,
OR Western burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) are tiny, long-
legged members of the owl family, native to the Americas and
preferring open landscapes where they can dig new holes or use
existing ones (such as abandoned prairie dog, skunk or armadillo
homes) to nest and rear their young. Unlike most other owl
species, these small but charismatic birds are more often seen
out and about during daylight hours, but they are most active
and do their primary feeding at night, preferring a diet of
small rodents and large insects. Once a common species in
California and across North America, the Western burrowing owl
has become a rarer and rarer sight over the last three decades
given habitat loss and other environmental perils the bird
faces. Biologists consider th