It looks like R2D2 from a George Lucas episode of Star Wars, except it has yellow eyes and feathers and can fly. But one doesn’t have to go to Tatooine or the forest moon of Endor to see the little guy. Just visit any local national wildlife refuge.
Unlike other native owls that nest in trees or cavities in tree trunks, burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) use holes in the ground originally created by animals like our native California ground squirrel. Burrowing owls in other parts of the country often excavate their own burrows, but California owls typically enlarge existing burrows – using their beaks to dig out soil and their feet to kick it out of the chamber. Both males and females work to prepare and maintain their nesting burrows. They will continue to use them even during the winter as roosting sites.
Like eagles, hawks, falcons and their bigger owl cousins, burrowing owls are raptors – birds of prey – which survive by eating other animals. Unlike its bigger cousins most of the little owls’ prey consists of invertebrates like insects, including beetles, dragonflies, grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars, worms, moths and spiders. While most of the prey consumed by the owl are invertebrates, some of the bird’s diet includes small mammals, like voles and mice, and even small birds. The owls will also dine on small reptiles and amphibians.
In preparation for egg-laying, the burrowing owls will collect animal dung with which to carpet the entrance to their burrows. The dung collection attracts dung beetles and other insects that can then be easily grabbed for a snack. During the nesting season, females remain in or near the nest until their chicks have fledged. Having a well-stocked larder right outside the door makes it easier to keep itself fed and fill the mouths of hungry chicks.
The burrowing owls here in the San Joaquin Valley are not migratory; the owls on the refuges of the San Luis NWR Complex, however, do make short-distance movements between their nesting and wintering areas.
Burrowing owls are not very tolerant of human disturbance during the time they’re defending and raising their broods, so during that period they retreat to the more secluded areas of the wildlife refuges where visitors are not able to see them.
The breeding season for local burrowing owls typically begins in early February and lasts through August. However, during the winter, the owls often reside in areas of the Merced and San Luis NWRs where visitors can see them from the auto tour routes. Wildlife refuge visitors hoping to catch sight of a burrowing owl should scan the open, treeless grassland areas where the vegetation is sparse and low-growing. The owls prefer open terrain, which makes it easier for them to spot any approaching threat.
Additionally, look for areas with a lot of ground squirrel activity. Lots of ground squirrels means lots of burrows to roost in. Burrowing owls also like to rest atop the mound surrounding the burrow’s entrance, created by the soil that was kicked out during the burrow’s preparation. When standing, observers will notice their long legs and don’t forget to look for that distinctive R2D2 head profile.
Unlike some other owl species that are strictly nocturnal, burrowing owls are active and hunt during all hours of the day and night. They’re usually seen close to the ground, either flying or hovering just above it or walking and running along the surface, pursuing their prey and seizing it in their talons.
Between hunting sessions, one might be able to spot them sleeping atop the dirt mounds at their burrow’s entrance. Sometimes they’ll hunker down in a depression making them a little more difficult to spot.
The owl doesn’t hoot but it has its own screeches and calls. It carries no secret message from any princess in distress like its droid counterpart but can cause distress to those walking too close to its burrow by making a sound eerily like a rattlesnake coiled and ready to strike.
Don’t fret, no one has ever had to call poison control for a burrowing owl bite.
The Merced National Wildlife Refuge (located at 7430 West Sandy Mush Road), the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge and the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge comprise the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Its headquarters and visitor center are located just north of Los Banos off Highway 165 at 7376 South Wolfsen Road.
The refuges are open to visitors daily from one half-hour before sunrise to one half-hour after sunset. The visitor center is open Monday through Friday except federal holidays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call the refuge visitor center at 209-826-3508, ext. 127 or check out the upcoming events on the website at fws.gov/refuge/san-luis.
