Burrowing Owl

Athene cunicularia

Strigiformes / Strigidae · Americas, open country · first seen June 2023 · 22 sightings

Burrowing Owl preening on an open branch — Midsummer, soft overcast.

Burrowing Owl calling from a reed stem — Late afternoon, side light.

There is no single easy ID on the burrowing owl; there are three or four, and you learn them one trip at a time.

Structure is the best clue at distance: in flight the burrowing owl has a particular proportion you start to recognize before any field mark resolves.

Regional occurrence notes: I usually catch this species in the americas part of its range.

A local patch has produced this species on roughly one in three visits, which is probably more than I deserve.

If I had to explain what pulled me into birding, I’d point at a burrowing owl and not try to say more.