Summer on the prairies has arrived and so have the Burrowing Owls!
Along with the warm winds and sunshine, we are so excited to welcome Burrowing Owls back to their breeding grounds here in southern Saskatchewan! After a long winter, Burrowing Owls have made the long journey back to the prairies from southern Texas and Mexico. Saskatchewan is an incredibly important place for the Burrowing Owls life cycle – breeding season is already underway! Burrowing Owls have paired up and the female is now incubating the eggs inside the burrow while the male is busy hunting for himself and his mate.
Photo by Tammy Thomas
Burrowing Owls are a special and unique prairie owl. They are the only species of owl to nest underground in abandoned badger or gopher burrows and are one of the smallest owls in Canada! They can be identified by their small size (~9 inches tall) and light and dark brown plumage with white spots. They have round heads, large yellow eyes, and white ‘eyebrows’. Burrowing Owls also have long featherless legs that make them look like a pop can on stilts. When spotted, they are often standing next to or on their burrow or on a fence post.
Burrowing Owls are adapted to the prairie landscape and coexist very well with grazing animals. Burrowing Owls love a mosaic of grass height – shorter grass allows them to sight predators more efficiently and longer grass is great hunting habitat. They also use the manure to line their burrows for absorbing moisture, regulating temperature, attracting insects for food, and to help hide their scent from nearby predators.
Burrowing Owls have become an iconic prairie species but they need our help! Burrowing Owls are an endangered species in Canada so every sighting is incredibly important! If you have Burrowing Owls in your pasture or cultivated land, do not fear! Burrowing Owls are excellent helpers and provide many advantages including free pest control! According to Nature Saskatchewan’s Habitat Stewardship Coordinator, Kaytlyn Burrows, “Burrowing Owls eat huge numbers of insects, mice, voles and grasshoppers. Over the course of a summer, one owl family can consume up to 1800 rodents and 7000 insects!”
Nature Saskatchewan runs a voluntary stewardship program, Operation Burrowing Owl, and currently partners with close to 350 private land title holders and managers to help conserve habitat and monitor population numbers. Program participants are the eyes and ears and help us by recording sightings to help determine population trends and distribution of the Burrowing Owl throughout Saskatchewan. This information is helpful towards the conservation of these charismatic birds.
“Without the voluntary efforts of the land stewards and the general public, recovery of this unique prairie owl would not be possible” says Burrows. She encourages the public “to explore Saskatchewan and all the unique adventures it can offer!” If you think you have spotted a Burrowing Owl, please give a “hoot” by calling Nature Saskatchewan’s toll-free HOOT Line, 1-800-667-HOOT (4668) or email obo@naturesask.ca. “When you report a sighting you are playing a very important role in Burrowing Owl recovery. Every sighting is critical!” says Burrows. Private information is kept confidential and is never shared without permission.