A burrowing owl chick and adult, South Florida, USA

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Burrowing owls

Don’t look up. These are burrowing owls, which means that they live on the ground or under it. In fact, they often take advantage of the hard work of prairie dogs or gophers by building their nests in the burrows they dug and abandoned. Think of burrowing owls as squatters of the avian world. You’ll find these 7½- to 11-inch birds in North and South America, especially in grasslands, farming areas or dry expanses with vegetation that is close to the ground.

Unlike most other owl species, burrowing owls prefer to be active during the day, catching insects (unless they are sheltering from extreme midday heat). They also hunt for small mammals at night using their superior hearing and night vision, swooping down from branches or using their long legs to hop along the ground.

In their downtime, burrowing owls sleep just in front of their burrows or in hollows in the ground. If they’re startled, the owls run to the safety of their burrows, uttering screams and clucks to scare off the intruder. They even mimic rattlesnake sounds to frighten potential predators.