The votes have been unanimous! (Only one person voted...) This week is the Burrowing Owl, Athene Cunicularia! I know most of the stuff about this owl because I did a project on it last year. Anyway, this owl is a brown owl (in many different shades) with white spots. It has yellow, circular eyes and white tufts around the eyes and beak. It has long, featherless legs that, somewhat surprisingly, it uses for running. The owl normally lives in burrows, digging it's own or taking over an abandoned badger, fox, armadillo, skunk, or prairie dog den. These owls are featured in a few books, such as Carl Hiaasen's "Hoot" and Kathryn Lasky's "Guardians of Ga'hoole" (My personal favorite series, you have no idea how long I have wanted to put that on this blog) These owls lay 2-12 eggs, and (eww!) line the burrows with horse or cow manure. They eat small rodents and birds, also some snakes or bugs. The burrowing owl is, unlike most owls, diurnal.
Genetic similarity and overall appearance unite it with the other members of Athene. These are the Little Owl of Eurasia and northern Africa, the Spotted Owlet of southeastern Asia, and the extremely rare Forest Owlet. They make a "Coo, Coooo" sound and a series of clucks and chatters. Here is the link to hear the sounds: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Burrowing_Owl/sounds. Below are some images.
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| Adult Burrowing owl in flight |
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| Family Time! |
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| Juvenile Burrowing Owl |
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