Ecology and Habitat Selection of Burrowing Owls

Burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) are distinctive small strigids found across grasslands, deserts and agricultural landscapes from Canada to Argentina. Their ecology centres on the use of subterranean burrows—primarily those excavated by fossorial mammals—as nesting and refuge sites. Habitat selection reflects a balance between prey availability, burrow density, vegetation structure and landscape configuration. Owls favour open areas with short vegetation, which facilitate foraging and predator detection, often selecting sites well interior to field edges to reduce disturbance. Declines in burrowing mammal populations and conversion of native grasslands have driven range contractions and local extirpations. Conservation efforts increasingly focus on restoring burrow networks, managing vegetation height and composition, and ensuring abundant invertebrate and small vertebrate prey. Through observational surveys, remote tracking and diet analyses, recent work has clarified spatial dynamics, breeding requirements and the role of ecosystem engineers such as prairie dogs in shaping owl distribution. Globally, burrowing owls serve as bioindicators of grassland health, offering insights for broader habitat restoration and sustainable land-use planning.

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Ecology and Habitat Selection of Burrowing Owls publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in ecology and habitat selection of burrowing owls across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Fossorial mammals: Animals adapted to digging and living underground, such as prairie dogs and ground squirrels, whose burrow systems are used by burrowing owls.

Habitat selection: The process by which organisms choose environments that maximise their survival and reproductive success, based on factors like food availability and shelter.

Line transect sampling: A survey technique involving observers recording sightings of target species along fixed lines to estimate population density.

Ecosystem engineer: A species that modifies the physical environment through its activities, thereby creating and maintaining habitat for other organisms.

Pellet analysis: Examination of regurgitated undigested materials from birds of prey to determine diet composition and prey availability.

References

1. Population density of the western burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) in Mexican prairie dog (Cynomys mexicanus) colonies in northeastern Mexico. BMC Ecology and Evolution (2016).
2. Burrowing Owls Require Mutualist Species and Ample Interior Habitat Space. Diversity (2024).
3. Invertebrate-biased diet of burrowing owls in a newly-restored coastal grassland. Nature Conservation (2024).