The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea)

First posted June 7, 2022 For additional information, contact: Director, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center U.S. Geological Survey8711 37th Street Southeast Jamestown, ND 58401Contact Pubs Warehouse Keys to Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) management include providing areas of short, sparse vegetation and maintaining populations of prey species and of burrowing mammals to ensure availability of burrows as nest sites. In particular, the conservation of black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) and Richardson's ground squirrel (Urocitellus richardsonii) colonies is vital to the preservation of Burrowing Owls on the Great Plains. Burrowing Owls have been reported to use habitats with less than 31 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 5–12 cm visual obstruction reading, 12–36 percent grass cover, 29–45 percent forb cover, 1–11 percent shrub cover, 11–58 percent bare ground, and 6–27 percent litter cover.