Burrowing Owl

Speotyto cunicularia

The burrowing owl occurs in western North America in open country from southern Canada to Mexico. The Canadian population occurs mostly in a belt from Regina, Saskatchewan to Brooks, Alberta. The Canadian population has always been limited by habitat availability, but early agricultural development increased the amount and distribution of habitat by clearing brush-covered land. The use of chemical pesticides to control grasshoppers and other insects is both poisoning owls and reducing an important food supply.