Unfortunately their status is in decline. To quote the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, the entity charged with monitoring them as a “sensitive species:”
“Fewer and fewer burrowing owls return to their nesting colonies each year. This species has greatly declined in Canada and is considered endangered in our neighboring states of Minnesota and Iowa. The burrowing owl is of “special concern” in at least 8 additional states, including South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana. Conversion of prairie habitat for other uses, loss of nesting habitat from poisoning of prairie dogs and ground squirrels, poisoning of burrowing owls through methods that are not specific to rodents or predators, and accidental and intentional shooting have all contributed to the burrowing owl’s decline.”
This bird is in dire need of a Comprehensive Conservation Plan!
I have seen them at prairie dog towns in South Dakota. I wonder what their status is in the Dakotas.
Unfortunately their status is in decline. To quote the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, the entity charged with monitoring them as a “sensitive species:”
“Fewer and fewer burrowing owls return to their nesting colonies each year. This species has greatly declined in Canada and is considered endangered in our neighboring states of Minnesota and Iowa. The burrowing owl is of “special concern” in at least 8 additional states, including South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana. Conversion of prairie habitat for other uses, loss of nesting habitat from poisoning of prairie dogs and ground squirrels, poisoning of burrowing owls through methods that are not specific to rodents or predators, and accidental and intentional shooting have all contributed to the burrowing owl’s decline.”
This bird is in dire need of a Comprehensive Conservation Plan!