Priest of the Prairie Dogs

This enigmatic little owl is found scattered across the Coachella Valley.  Called by the Zuni, the Priest of the Prairie Dogs, it presides here over a host of ground squirrels and other burrowing mammals.  It is also called the ground owl, for its unusual habit of living in a hole in the ground.  This habit sets it apart from other owls that live in trees.

Burrowing owl at dusk.

It eats a variety of things, insects to rodents primarily. It will eat other things, like lizards, birds, snakes and toads if they are available.  They stay in their territory most of the year, and will use the burrow at different seasons for different purposes. They lay up to 12 eggs in the spring, and raise the chicks until they leave the family home in the fall.  In the fall and winter, they use the burrow primarily for escape from predators.  They may use the same burrow year after year, but they may change to another burrow during the year.

The babies start trying to fly by 3 weeks, and by 5 weeks are hunting with the parents. By 3 months they are pretty independent. These comical families will sit on the doorstep of their burrow and watch you with great curiosity.  This makes this species a particularly interesting one to most people.

Baby owl scurrying to cover of the burrow.

These animals are listed on the Depart of Fish and Wildlife  and the US Fish and Wildlife as a species of concern.  There numbers are decreasing across their range.  Although they are found from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast, and from interior Canada to Central Mexico, there are areas where once these comical birds no longer grace the landscape. This is a sad occurrence for those of us who remember seeing them in our neighborhoods and around the outskirts of town.

Owl in field of grasses.