#burrowing owl

[herpsandbirds]

Florida Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia floridana) taking off, family Strigidae, order Strigiformes, southern FL, USA

photograph by Scott Kalter

#burrowing owl #owl #athene #strigidae #strigiformes #bird #ornithology #north america #animals #nature

[bethanythebogwitch]

I heard it's Superb Owl Sunday so I have prepared some superb owls for you.

The barn owl is the most widespread species of owl, living on every continent except Antarctica. Their faces are shaped like a disk to help their hearing, giving them some of the best hearing of any owl. They mostly hunt by sound.

Snowy owls are the largest arctic predatory birds, They are born with black feathers and get whiter as they age. Females usually have more dark feathers than males.

Eastern screech owls have a few feather variants that make them look like completely different species.

The southern white-faced owl can increase its metabolic rate during winter to compensate for the cold and lack of food. They lay their eggs in nests built and abandoned by other birds.

The great grey owl is the largest owl by length, but a lot of that is feathers and they're actually very light for their size. Their hearing is good enough to hear rodents burrowing through snow and they can break through hard-packed snow to catch prey.

Blakiston's fish owl is the largest owl by mass and eats mostly fish. Despite the name, they may be more closely related to eagle owls than fish owls.

The elf owl is the smallest owl species, barely larger than a sparrow. They hunt bugs and play dead when caught. They like to live in holes in saguaro cacti.

Burrowing owls live in underground burrows. While they can dig, they mostly take over burrows from other animals. Farmers killing prairie dogs has severely reduced burrowing owl populations. They decorate their burrows with feces to attract bugs to eat.

The barking owl is called that because

Its nice to have a day to appreciate superb owls. Feel free to spread the love by reblogging with some more owl facts.

#superb owl #superbowl sunday #owl #barn owl #snowy owl #eastern screech owl #southern white-faced owl #great grey owl #blakiston's fish owl #elf owl #burrowing owl #barking owl #animal facts #birds #birds of prey #Youtube

[antiqueanimals]

Virginia Wildlife; vol. 39, no. 2. February, 1978. Illustration by John W. Taylor.

Internet Archive

#birds #raptors #owls #eastern screech owl #northern saw-whet owl #barred owl #barn owl #long-eared owl #short-eared owl #burrowing owl #snowy owl #great horned owl #John W. Taylor

[ridiculousbirdfaces]

Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)

#Burrowing Owl #owl #owlet #bird of prey #baby bird #baby #Athene cunicularia #Athene

[norisus]

Cacturne, but inspired by a burrowing owl! The leafy feathers are all razor-sharp, and the wings are too small for powered flight.

#pokemon #cacturne #owls #burrowing owl #pkmnart #susiart #fanart #birds

[dinoserious]

ponderosa OvO

#ponder sona #burrowing owl #sona #sketch #big ole feets

[stickynotebirds]

65. Burrowing Owl

#todays bird #birdblr #birds #bird of the day #bird #drawn 20.7.23 #Burrowing Owl #cute lill baby #artists on tumblr

[microwsoftpaint]

[image description: Hacksaw and Saturn from Pinepaw and the Forgotten World standing back to back. Hacksaw is a peregrine falcon with two tones of dark grey markings. her eyes are cyan with green pupils. she stares down manically at Saturn. Saturn is a burrowing owl. she is generally light brown, with a beige face and chest, as well as dark brown tones. her wings are mostly dark brown, getting lighter at the tips. she glances nervously at Hacksaw, neck scrunched. she has a loose posture with her wings partially unfolded. end ID.]

034 today's birds are lol and lmao

#you can read patfw at @barrenclan here on tumblr! its so so worth your time :3 #microwsoftpaint #birds #bird art #peregrine #falcon #falconidae #burrowing owl #owl #strigidae #patfw #pinepaw and the forgotten world #barrenclan #id in caption #fanart

[alonglistofbirds]

[1952/10977] Burrowing owl - Athene cunicularia

Order: Strigiformes (owls) Family: Strigidae (true owls)

Photo credit: Brad Imhoff via Macaulay Library

#birds #Burrowing owl #Strigiformes #Strigidae #Athene #birds a to z #undescribed

[venerablemonk27]

I've done a lot of birding the past couple months and not a lot of posting, so I'm going back to our Tucson, AZ trip from April. I hadn't been to the Western US since picking up birding or wildlife photography, so I knew I was going to pick up a ton of lifers. One of our target species for the trip was also my fifth Owl species ever: the Burrowing Owl.

[ID: A Burrowing Owl stands on a mound of dirt. They are facing left and looking toward the camera. The sun is low in the sky off to the right, which illuminates the right side of the Owl's face and their back, while casting the rest in shadow. They have striking yellow eyes and a furrowed brow that gives them the appearance of a permanent scowl. Their oval-shaped head transitions naturally into a slender cylindrical body covered in mottled tan and white feathers. About half the bird's height is body and folded wings, with two naked grey legs planted on the ground. End ID]

This was the morning we had picked for me to do some solo birding, so I drove out to a spot west of Tucson where eBird indicated that Burrowing Owls were likely to appear. It was just after sunrise when I found the road cutting between farm fields where the Owls were reported. I drove slowly down the side of the road in my rented Dodge Charger, stopping occasionally to inspect a suspicious clump of dirt with my binoculars. I had not seen any sign of the Owls when a Land Rover pulled up behind me. A group of three folks in their 60s with binoculars piled out of car, clearly more birders here to do exactly what I was doing.

[ID: A Burrowing Owl stands on a mound of dirt, facing the camera. The sun is still low in the sky, but now the bird's face and chest are more brightly lit, showing the transition in feather colors from tan to mottled tan to white as they progress downward from collar to belly.]

They introduced themselves as coming from the UK, and had been visiting Arizona for several weeks in search of all the unique birds the state could offer. The driver was particularly puzzled about the location of the Owls, saying he was "absolutely foxed" that this place with no real habitat could host Burrowing Owls. I showed him the recent sightings on eBird and explained that it was possible the birds just hadn't emerged from their burrows yet.

After another 15 minutes of searching the fields, I offered to lead them to an alternate site nearby. We got in our cars and slowly drove back the way we had come. Just as we were approaching the end of the road, I spotted a small tan creature standing right on the edge of the irrigation ditch along the near side of the field. A Burrowing Owl! I swung the Charger around and flagged down my companions, who had also spotted the Owl.

[ID: A pair of Burrowing Owls stand on a mound of dirt. The one in the foreground looks decidedly sleepier and plumper than the one in the background (seen in previous images). Both Owls are similar in coloration, but the one in the foreground has an aluminum leg band for identifying them. End ID]

We got out to take a look and grab some photos from long distance, then slowly crept forward with my Charger as a rolling blind. There turned out to be four Owls spread out along the irrigation ditch, likely close to their burrows which were out of sight. They were surprisingly unbothered by the cars rolling up to them, probably because they see trucks and farm vehicles driving past all day every day. Once we were directly across the irrigation ditch from the closest pair, I climbed into the passenger seat to take some better photosm. Mostly the Owls just stood on their tiny hill and looked around. Though I did witness one of the pair above fly down to pounce on a grasshopper, then return to feed it to their partner.

[ID: A pair of Burrowing Owls stand on a mound of dirt. This photo was taken midday, with the sun directly overhead. At least one of these individuals is different from those above, as they have two leg bands instead of one. It's also apparent in the photo that the Owls are standing at the edge of a farm field from the row of green plants out of focus in the background. End ID]

I had such a great view of the Burrowing Owls that I had to bring my family back to see them on our last day in Tucson. Because we were heading out of town in the middle of the day, I was confident we'd find them right away and avoid testing the patience of my kid. It turns out I didn't have to worry. Not only were the Owls right where I left them, but the kid had fallen asleep on the drive, so we had to wake him up to see them! And seeing as I already had the camera within easy reach, I had to take a few more photos.

[ID: A Burrowing Owl stands on a mound of dirt. This one is looking alert in the midday sun, standing and scanning the area around the edge of the farm field. End ID]

On a trip full of exciting views, long hikes, and thousands of photos, it was nice to finish the trip quietly sitting in the car just a few yards away from such a compelling bird. And it always feels good to track down a lifer and share that experience with others!

#bird #birding #birds #bird photography #birdblr #birdlife #photography #birdwatching #close encounter #original photography #original photography on tumblr #owl #burrowing owl #arizona #there's simply nothing around here that looks like habitat

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

#Rüppell's griffon vulture #burrowing owl #birds #dinosaurs #griffon vulture #owl #vulture

[herpsandbirds]

Florida Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia floridana), family Strgidae, order Strigiformes, Florida, USA

photograph by Tania Thomson

#burrowing owl #owl #athene #strigidae #strigiformes #bird #ornithology #north america #animals #nature

[battle-of-the-birds]

Remember to read about the contestants before voting!

Burrowing Owl

Despite their names, burrowing owls do none of the digging themselves. They may live underground, but they often use abandoned nests made by other burrowing animals. They even put stuff outside of their burrows, to show that it is occupied, such as trash that humans leave around and dung in order to attract dung beetles. They even store extra food for when times get tough, hiding it away for a rainy day. Learn More!

Osprey

The Osprey is a hunter of fish, with specialized talons and barbed pads in order to grasp on to the slippery fish. They successfully catch fish 70% of the time they dive, which is a lot of fish! They also are unique in the way that their chicks will establish their own pecking order. The first to hatch is usually the dominant and more strong one. Within 5 days of that chick hatching, all their other eggs will hatch. If food is plentiful, the younger chicks have nothing to worry about. But in times of scarcity, the younger chicks don't always make it. Learn More!

(Burrowing Owl photo by Lorenz Crespo) (Osprey photo by Don Danko)

#bird battle #round one #burrowing owl #birds #bird #Osprey #owl

[josharlington]

Burrowing owl

#burrowing owl #photography #photographers on tumblr #animals #birds #owls #birblr #original photography #birds of tumblr

[speedyz3]

Owls have always intrigued me for many reasons. Their facial expressions display their personalities so much. It’s like they are as curious about us as we are of them. It is always a treat to see the Burrowing owls out and about while on Antelope island.

#utah #nature #desert southwest #wildlife #birding #bird watching #antelopeisland #burrowing owl #bird of prey #raptor

[feather-bone]

Burrowing owl!

[ID: an illustration of a burrowing owl against a purple background, surrounded by thistles. It’s head is tilted almost upside-down. End.]

#owls #owl #burrowing owl #birds #daily creature #animals