On August 2, the National Zoo welcomed two burrowing owl chicks—the
first hatching of this species at the Zoo in 30 years. A recent
population management plan recommended breeding the Zoo’s current
adult pair. The burrowing owl is named for their habit of living in underground
burrows. It can excavate its own hole but usually uses a burrow dug by
another animal.

The chicks are with their parents in the Zoo’s Bird House.
Currently, there is semi-transparent filter paper covering their
exhibit, providing the chicks with privacy. As they become more
comfortable with their new surroundings, the paper will gradually be
removed.

About Burrowing Owls

The burrowing owl is named for their habit of living in underground
burrows. It can excavate its own hole but usually uses a burrow dug by
another animal. Zuni Indians called the burrowing owl the “priest of
the prairie dogs” because it sometimes nests and roosts in empty
prairie dog burrows. The Zoo’s owls are provided with tunnels and
underground nest boxes.

The female incubates the eggs for 28 to 30 days, while the male
hunts and supplies the female with food. When they hatch, the chicks
are helpless and their eyes are closed. By two and a half weeks, the
chicks are able to control their body temperature and begin to emerge
from their burrows to beg for food. At three weeks old, they begin
jumping and flapping their wings, and at four weeks, they are able to
take short flights. The chicks are easy to identify by their juvenile
plumage, which lacks any of the white bars and spots of the adults.

Burrowing owls are covered in brown-spotted feathers, have long
legs, and distinctive white eyebrows above their bright yellow eyes.
They are one of the smallest owls in North America. Their total length
is about ten inches (slightly larger than an American robin), and they
weigh about five ounces.

Much of the population is migratory, although their migration routes
and locations are not well understood. Burrowing owls are distributed
from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean and from the Canadian
prairie provinces into South America. They are also found in Florida
and the Caribbean islands. Burrowing owls have a highly variable diet,
which includes invertebrates and small vertebrates. They mainly eat
large insects, small rodents, and frogs. The greatest threat to
burrowing owls is habitat destruction and degradation caused by land
development and agriculture.