The Story
I photographed this Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) at Hacienda La Cabaña, near Tauramena, Casanare, Colombia, in January 2020. It nests and roosts in burrows, but it usually takes over holes dug by other animals rather than digging its own. It mainly eats large insects and small rodents, and it is especially fond of termites, katydids, crickets and grasshoppers. It has no ear tufts, and it flares its white eyebrows and chin patch when it bobs its head in agitation. Its long legs let it sprint after prey on the ground.
I used a Pentax K-1 with the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 for this one, at 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200. Across its range, IUCN lists the Burrowing Owl as Least Concern, and its population appears to be stable.
©2020 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