The Story
This Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) was at Hato Barley in Tauramena, Casanare, Colombia when I photographed it. Unlike most owls, it is often active by day, though it tends to avoid the midday heat. In parts of South America it is expanding its range as forests are cleared. It lives in grasslands, farmland, deserts and other open, dry areas with low vegetation. Like many owls it hunts mostly around dawn and dusk. It is a year-round resident in most of its range. Since 1995 royalties from Tauramena’s oil fields have funded much of its development. Tauramena lies in southwestern Casanare.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400. IUCN lists the Burrowing Owl as Least Concern, with a stable population.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) belongs to the family Strigidae (Owls) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2025), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List