Burrowing Owls are listed as a species of special concern in California and endangered in other parts of their range. Their decline is mostly due to loss of habitat but pesticides (both insecticides and rodenticides) are also to blame. The use of these poisons not only decimate a large portion of insects that these owls rely on for food, but rodenticides also reduce the number of natural excavators that create the ground burrows they nest in, like ground squirrels.
Burrowing Owls are known as partial migrants here in California and will move about the State to their breeding grounds where they nest in colonies. ORC typically receives just a few Burrowing Owl patients a year during these migrations, but some years we’ve received only one or none at all. We have seen an increase of annual intakes over the past 3 years and this Fall we’ve received 4 since September! While sadly not all of them made it, we hope this is a good sign for the species as conservation efforts are underway.
The patient pictured has undergone 3 surgeries to repair extensive damage to the soft tissue of the left wing after the owl was entangled in barbed wire. Luckily his/her prognosis is looking good for recovery and release!
