The Burrowing Owl is small ground-dwelling diurnal owl with several distinctive features including its bright yellow eyes, long legs and characteristic bobbing behavior when disturbed. Burrowing Owls range in length from 19-25 cm and have brown and buffy-white spotted feathers with a buffy-white eyebrow. Males are slightly larger than females. Juveniles are distinguishable from adults by their solid buff colored breast and wings (Poulin et al. 2011).

Citations:

• Dechant, J. A., M. L. Sondreal, D. H. Johnson, L. D. Igl, C. M. Goldade, P. A. Rabie, and B. R. Euliss. 1999 (revised 2002). Effects of management practices on grassland birds: Burrowing owl. Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Jamestown, ND. 33 pages.
• Martin, D.J. 1973. Selected Aspects of Burrowing owl Ecology and Behavior. The Condor 75(4): 446-456.
• Poulin, Ray, L. Danielle Todd, E. A. Haug, B. A. Millsap and M. S. Martell. 2011. Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/061
• Smallwood, S.K. and C. Thelander. 2008. Bird Mortality in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area. The Journal of Wildlife Management 72(1): 215-223.
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS ). 2002. Raptors: Diurnal and Nocturnal Birds of Prey. Fact Sheet. Web. 06 August 2011.