The Story
I photographed this Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) at Hato Altamira in Casanare, Colombia. The Burrowing Owl is a year-round resident in most of its range. 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. Hato Altamira is one of three ranches, with Mata de Palma and Montana, that make up El Encanto de Guanapalo, a reserve of almost 9,000 hectares of flooded savanna and gallery forest in San Luis de Palenque. IUCN lists the Burrowing Owl 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 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100. El Encanto de Guanapalo pays for its conservation through traditional cattle ranching, ecotourism and carbon credits, using the Cataruben Foundation’s Co2Bio model.
©2022 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