The Amazing Underground Owl
The burrowing owl has large lemon-lime eyes with alternating brown and off-white feathers. The burrowing owls prefer to live in plain, flat grasslands for they can catch their prey which are insects, rodents, and small lizards; they also use the grasslands to hide from predators such as coyotes, great horned owls… or cats. They make their homes underground by using holes that are already made from many animals including prairie dogs and burrowing squirrels.
The burrowing owls and the burrowing squirrels engage in what is called symbiosis. Symbiosis is when two different living things are in the same habitat and they both take advantage of living together. The burrowing owl takes advantage of the burrowing squirrels’ ability to dig burrows. That is why they are called burrowing owls. But do they themselves actually burrow? NO, this means that they and the squirrels exist in symbiosis. So, I guess the real question is, what do the desert squirrels get out of this? Well, the squirrels get another pair of eyes (lemon-lime at that) to help watch out for nearby predators.
The burrowing owl is one of the smallest owls. They weigh 3 – 6.2 kg which is about 7 – 14 lbs, with a length of 60 – 120 cm. or about 24 – 47 inches, and attain a height of seven to ten inches. The burrowing owl is so tiny that it can fit in the palms of your hands. Because it is so tiny it becomes a prime food for larger animals.
According to Mountain View Voice on Tuesday, November 16, 2021, in Mountain View’s North Bayshore in California, feral cats are a big problem for burrowing owls. When a domestic animal escapes or is dumped into the open, it can become feral, which is, one could say, half-wild. Imagine your favorite puppy being left to fend for itself for a few months.
A while later, you would find it with mangy fur, wounds covering its back and belly from fights, perhaps missing an eye – it would be bonkers! Unfortunately, people abandon unfixed kittens who run away or are straight-up abandoned, resulting in more feral cats.
In Mountain View, the feral cats are annoying the neighbors and eating small animals. Reporter Bee Hanson says, “There were so many complaints that the office started looking for people who could do something about this”. The neighbors don’t like the cats because they are finding cat poop in their backyards and they think that the cats are spreading fleas. Furthermore, the cats are eating small and protected species. For example, these feral cats munch on the California Ridgway’s rail, the salt marsh harvest mouse, the western snowy plover, and the western burrowing owl.
In 2016, according to the Cornell lab, feral and household cats are responsible for 2.4 – 4 billion bird deaths per year in the U.S. Matthew Dodder, the executive director of the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society says, “There is overwhelming evidence that feral cats are a serious threat to wild birds and other animals”. The feral cats in Mountain View’s North Bayshore area have wandered to Shoreline Park where they have been eating burrowing owls. The burrowing owls had not met this new predator prior, so they had no idea what to expect. Their vulnerability made them an easy meal for the cats. In 2015 there was a report that found a feral cat attacking a burrowing owl. Sadly, that was one of the few that remain in that area.
Some may say getting rid of the cats is the only solution. But is it really worth it? Is the burrowing owl’s life more valuable than the feral cat’s life? Shouldn’t all species of life have the same respect? Hanson worries about the health and safety of her furry friends. “Environmentalists say that cats kill a lot of birds, but what are we going to do about that? Kill the cats? That’s not a good answer.” She is against killing the cats and says that there must be another solution. She is correct. Instead of killing the cats, they could neuter or spay the cat then release it back into the wild. Cat advocates did that exactly. They used the trap-neuter-release (TNR strategy) to decrease the spread of the cats. But in 2020 and because of the COVID-19 pandemic, animal shelters closed down, so it was difficult for feral cats to be treated.
According to The San Diego Union – Tribune on November 26, 2020, near San Diego in Ramona, CA, the San Diego Habitat Conservancy adopted 24 burrowing owls. The owl population in Ramona increased with a whole new generation of owls. Hopefully, biologists will transfer more pairs of burrowing owls so that they can expand the population even more. They want to expand the population because the tiny little burrowing owls are a rare species. Christina Schaefer is a private biologist and conservancy board member. “The chicks that are born here hopefully will come back to breed,” she said. Christina hopes that making a place for the burrowing owls to stay and feel like home will encourage them to come back, stay and raise another generation of owls.
Researchers have been releasing small groups of young owls to the community around Ramona. They hope to continue getting excellent results. To keep the burrowing owls in a good habitat they have made artificial burrows. “They use the California ground squirrels as their ecosystem engineers,” said Schaefer. “Ground squirrels dig the burrows, and the owls move into them.” However, people have been killing ground squirrels because they think that they are pests. This leaves fewer squirrels to make burrows which affect the burrowing owls because they don’t have enough burrows to use as shelter. In San Diego County, researchers said that there were only about 75 breeding pairs left. Because the owls were so rare it is very hard to tell how many are actually left; they might accidentally count one owl twice thinking it is just another owl.
The Ramona Grasslands County Preserve is the largest open area of wildlife in San Diego County. At 3,521 acres, it is a living library of biodiversity with a variety of habitats. Don Scoles, the executive director of the San Diego Habitat Conservancy said: “We’re trying to conserve and preserve and manage these high-quality lands”. Even though they had so much land, the Conservancy still had to figure out the right land for the burrowing owls. The habitat that they found was grassy with rich soil for burrows.
Was the new habitat perfect? Well, some adjustments had to be made. The habitat does not have nearby perches or fences for any larger birds, owls, or predators. For the owls the habitat must also have native animals that can graze and keep the grass short enough. In this particular habitat, the Conservancy makes artificial burrows for the owls. Some burrows are made for breeding pairs, so they have two entrances that lead to a plywood box. Researchers place the breeding pairs in the burrow then cover it with a temporary aviary to keep the owls there until they reproduce. Once they reproduce, they are set free.
During their breeding, thankfully, they still feed the owls so that they don’t go hungry. Every once in a while, when the researchers check on the eggs, they feed the owls frozen mice. Schaefer compared the artificial burrows to the squirrel burrows. She said that they obviously prefer the artificial burrows over the squirrel burrows just like how people would prefer a villa over a cabin. Indeed, while the burrowing owls are enjoying their habitat they may still not feel at home, the researchers played recordings of burrowing owl calls.
The goal is to maintain, preserve and expand San Diego’s natural environment. The help that the burrowing owls received from the researchers was only temporary. Schaefer said, “Eventually we go away, and they do this all on their own”. Most of the burrowing owls that were at the site migrated after they had bred, so now there are only about five owls left. Schaefer and company hope that the chicks will return to their birthplace and raise their own families. Once owls keep coming back and reproducing, researchers will know that their efforts for reintroducing burrowing owls to this area have worked. The successful part of this action was that they returned the owls from where they were from. You might be wondering what makes the burrowing owl so special and why the researchers are caring for them so much. If you keep reading you might start caring for the bird yourself.
Burrowing owls usually live in colonies. The adults and older owls take turns guarding and protecting the colonies. They are very active day and night. They are especially active during nesting season. The guard owls often hunt prey from tall posts of trees and then swoop down like a jet to catch their prey.
The burrowing owl likes to eat a variety of food. Their diet depends on the seasons and where they live. For example, they prefer to eat mostly large insects such as dragonflies, grasshoppers, beetles, crickets, moths, butterflies, caterpillars, scorpions, and centipedes in the summer. But if they are in Florida they might like to eat many frogs, toads, lizards, and snakes. However, for most of the year, they feed upon small mammals like voles, mice, rats, gophers, and ground squirrels.
The burrowing owl has unique mating habits and behavior. They are typically what are called monogamous animals. Monogamous means that the animal can only have one mate at a time. However, males do occasionally have two mates. The males also perform courtship displays. This means that they do a coordinated dance and song. The courtship display may include flashing white markings, cooing, bowing, scratching, and nipping. When the burrowing owls find mates, they start nesting. The nesting season is between February and August. The female lays their eggs only one day apart. The eggs are incubated by the female for 28 to 30 days. During incubation, the female stays put while the male hunts, feeds her, and stays guard over the nest. The male also takes care of the babies once they hatch. It seems like the male does a lot of the work. Most breeding pairs have 4 – 5 babies.
Owls loom large in Native American lore. For example, there are many tribes that believe that the burrowing owl is related to death in some way. The Hopi Indians named the burrowing owl Ko’Ko, which means “Watcher of the Death”. They thought that the burrowing owl was somehow connected to their god of death, Masau’u. Masau’u is the protector of the underground.
There are also many other Native American tribes that have beliefs about different owls. The Apache Indian tribe also thought that the burrowing owl signifies that death is approaching.
The Cherokee tribe believed that the Eastern screech owls brought sickness and punishment, whereas the Dakota Hidatsa tribe thought that the burrowing owl was a protective spirit for warriors. The Cree people believed that the Boreal owl has certain whistles that are summoned from the spirits. If a person mimicked the animal’s sound but didn’t hear a response, then that person would soon perish. The Lenape Indians believed that if they dreamt about any owl it would become his or her guardian.
Owl lore grew from real to imagined owls. An Indian legend says that the ‘Spedis Owl’ was a protector from water devils and monsters. These creatures are believed to pull people into the water. The ‘Spedis Owl’ was carved on a stone slab by the Sheepeater tribe.
The American Indians weren’t the only ones that had beliefs about the burrowing owl. There is also some Greek mythology about the owl. One famous one sits on Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war. The owl of Athena is kept on the shoulder of Athena revealing the world’s truths, lies, and secrets to the goddess. The owl helps Athena fulfill her reputation being the goddess of wisdom. With this in mind, when Greek soldiers during, or in preparation for a battle saw even a glimpse of an owl they believed that Athena had blessed them for victory in the battle.
In the Bible, it is said that the owl is unclean and abominable. The owl is compared to other terrible creatures such as dragons (which were mispercieved as giant squids, crocodiles, alligators, etc), bats, ravens, crows, and other birds. Moses commanded the Israelites to not eat these creatures.
Also, many people believe that if you see an owl in the daytime then it could mean that you might have to learn something or that you are seeing the world as it really is. That is one of the many good beliefs about owls.
In India, if an owl is seen then it is the symbol of luck and wisdom but, their screech is an omen of death. In Hindu mythology, an owl is a symbol of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. When people worship Lakshmi on Diwali, they sacrifice the owl during black market rituals. It is believed that this sacrifice takes away the bad luck that the owl brings and restores it with prosperity.
In other cultures around the world, the owl is considered to be bad luck, bringing omens of death, although in reality owls are not any more bad luck than black cats, broken mirrors, or spilled salt.
