Cool critters: Happy Father’s Day to our region’s underground owl dads
They decorate home exteriors, make food runs, help feed the babies and stand guard against intruders.
The burrowing owl is no deadbeat dad.
On this Father’s Day, we tip our hat to this endearing owl who lives opposite most birds. Instead of roosting and nesting in trees, it does precisely what the bird’s common name implies: it burrows underground.
“They live underground in burrows they’ve either dug themselves or taken over from a prairie dog, ground squirrel or tortoise,” wildlife biologist Jason Fidorra of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said.
Which isn’t the only thing that sets the burrowing owl apart. Unlike other owl species, they’re active during the day. They also emit coo-coo, cluck and chatter calls. And when threatened, they mimic the sound of a rattlesnake.
“The rattlesnake call is unique,” according to the National Park Service website. “It imitates a rattlesnake so accurately that predators won’t enter their burrows when they hear that call.”
A good thing, too, because it’s hard to imagine the bird’s looks alone scaring off predators such as coyotes, badgers and skunks. Picture a brown-and-white feathered gnome a little taller than a russet potato with bright yellow eyes wide as marbles. Extending above them is a thick unibrow, reminiscent of Bert from “Sesame Street,” only white instead of black. And supporting this little gnome’s weight are two comically long, skinny legs.
Don’t be fooled, though. Since burrowing owls spend more time on ground than in flight, their stilt-like appendages evolved to help them run after prey such as grasshoppers, crickets, reptiles and voles, according to the Owl Research Center based in Charlo, Montana. They also help the tiny raptor stand tall while scanning wide-open landscapes for food and predators.
When it comes to standing watch, chasing prey and co-parenting, burrowing owl dads are pros. Once the eggs hatch, mother owls stay in or near the nest burrow, “while the males stand guard at a nearby burrow or perch,” to defend the breeding pair’s territory, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology states on its website. The fathers also fetch food, help feed the chicks and eventually teach them hunting skills.
Another reason the burrowing owl deserves a nod on this Father’s Day? Before his mate lays her eggs, he helps her “decorate” the outside of the burrow and its entrance with about anything available, including animal scat, dried grass, feathers, paper, bottle caps and tin foil, the Cornell Lab explains. Researchers theorize the animal dung attracts beetles and other insects for the owls to eat, while the remaining décor signals to other owls that the burrow is occupied and to KEEP OUT.
Old-time residents of the Tri-Cities and Yakima might remember seeing burrowing owls in broad daylight – perched on dirt mounds in dry, open country where homes and stores sit today. Though once abundant in Eastern Washington and across many parts of North America, their numbers are declining due to human alteration of their habitat, along with the eradication of ground squirrels and other mammals that dig burrows the owls use for nesting, WDFW’s Fidorra said. The agency is addressing Washington’s steep population decline by installing artificial burrows in areas with plenty of prey and no road traffic so hunting owls won’t get struck by vehicles.
Not only do the burrowing owls’ new digs offer unobstructed views, but they’re rent free. Is that a nice Father’s Day gift, or what?