Burrowing Owl Winter Ecology and Use of Artificial Burrows in South TexasProject Fact Sheet Burrowing Owls Winter in South TexasProject DescriptionBurrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) are unique migratory birds. In the western United States and southern Canada, they breed in dry grasslands, using animal burrows, such as those of prairie dogs, for nest sites. In the winter, burrowing owls migrate to California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and parts of Mexico. Although they do not nest during the winter, they still require burrows for protection. Burrowing owls are small, long-legged birds of open country from Canada to Mexico, but are declining at an alarming rate. The burrowing owl is one of only 11 species of birds identified for joint protection by an international environmental agreement between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It is listed as endangered in Canada and threatened in Mexico. In the United States, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service currently classifies the burrowing owl as a Species of Management Concern and has initiated a formal review of its population status. South Texas is a major wintering area for the burrowing owl, based on recent bird surveys conducted by the Texas Gulf Coast Field Research Station (TGCFRS), Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC), and the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS). The importance of south Texas to burrowing owls was not formerly known because the owls disperse widely over this large region of Texas, and they inhabit highly altered or disturbed habitats normally not considered good wildlife habitat. South Texas historically featured coastal prairie and native brush, but with the conversion of much of this region to agriculture, native grasslands containing animal burrows have also been lost. As a result, burrowing owls wintering in south Texas use road culverts (usually along roads adjacent to cultivated fields) instead of natural burrows. Vehicles pose a serious threat for burrowing owls roosting along roads. The use of culverts, instead of natural burrows, appears to be an adaptation to a drastically changed landscape and has presented wildlife managers in south Texas with an unusual challenge. The TGCFRS has joined TAMU-CC and the CWS to study the winter ecology of this species, in hopes of finding answers to why burrowing owl numbers are declining. Reversing the decline in burrowing owl populations is a long-term goal for this research team. Long-term objectives for burrowing owl research and conservation in south Texas are:
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