The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea)
June 7, 2022
Keys to Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) management include providing areas of short, sparse vegetation and maintaining populations of prey species and of burrowing mammals to ensure availability of burrows as nest sites. In particular, the conservation of black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) and Richardson’s ground squirrel (Urocitellus richardsonii) colonies is vital to the preservation of Burrowing Owls on the Great Plains. Burrowing Owls have been reported to use habitats with less than 31 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 5–12 cm visual obstruction reading, 12–36 percent grass cover, 29–45 percent forb cover, 1–11 percent shrub cover, 11–58 percent bare ground, and 6–27 percent litter cover.
Citation Information
| Publication Year | 2022 |
|---|---|
| Title | The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) |
| DOI | 10.3133/pp1842P |
| Authors | Jill A. Shaffer, Lawrence D. Igl, Douglas H. Johnson, Marriah L. Sondreal, Christopher M. Goldade, Paul A. Rabie, Jason P. Thiele, Betty R. Euliss |
| Publication Type | Report |
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Series Title | Professional Paper |
| Series Number | 1842 |
| Index ID | pp1842P |
| Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
| USGS Organization | Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center |