The Story
I photographed this Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) at Hacienda La Cabaña, near Tauramena, Casanare, Colombia, in January 2020. It is a small, long-legged owl of open country such as grassland, ranchland and farmland. It nests and roosts in burrows, but it usually takes over holes dug by other animals rather than digging its own. Unlike most owls, it is often active by day, though it avoids the heat of midday and hunts mostly at dawn and dusk. It is fairly tolerant of people and often nests near roads, farms and homes. IUCN lists it as Least Concern, with a stable population.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200. Tauramena’s mayor’s office says birding days like the Global Big Day help build birdwatching as a sustainable activity in the town.
©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