I often see my admired photographer, Paulette Donnellon, sharing many adorable photos of burrowing owls on Facebook. However, the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge is a three-hour drive from my home, which feels somewhat far. On November 14, 2024, my husband decided to take me to the Salton Sea area to see burrowing owls and migratory birds, snow geese. I later discovered that the snow geese were very far from the observation deck and could only be seen with a telescope. Burrowing owls were even harder to find. Following the advice of a park ranger, we drove along nearby streets, carefully scanning the small burrows beside the road. It felt like searching for a needle in a haystack. Finally, just before sunset, my daughter mentioned that she might have spotted a small bird on the roadside. My husband carefully reversed the car to avoid scaring it away. When the car stopped, we realized it was indeed a burrowing owl! We quietly got out of the car and took photos. I was thrilled that this trip was well worth it, and I was so happy to finally see two adorable burrowing owls.
我常看到我很欽慕的攝影玩家 Paulette Donnellon 在臉書上分享許多穴鴞可愛的照片，但是鹽海國家野生動物保護區 (Sonny Bono Salton Sea National wildlife Refuge) 離我家 3 個鐘頭車程，實在是有些遠。2024年11月14日，我先生心血來潮要帶我去鹽海國家野生動物保護區看候鳥雪雁 (snow geese)及穴鴞。後來才發現雪雁離觀景台非常遠，要用望遠鏡才看得到。而穴鴞更是難找。我們按著公園管理員告訴我們附近的數條街去找，我們開著車來來回回專注著道路旁的小洞穴，真像大海裏撈針似的，終於在太陽快下山之前，我女兒說好像看到一隻小小的鳥在路邊，我先生慢慢的倒車怕嚇走"鳥"，車停後，我們看到的果真是穴鴞，我們輕手輕腳的下車照像，真是高興，這趟出遊不虛此行，終於看到兩隻可愛的穴鴞。
The burrowing owl is a small, long-legged owl that nests in underground burrows instead of trees. They are found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. They can be found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or any other open, dry area with low vegetation. They are often associated with prairie dog towns and other burrowing animals such as ground squirrel, or tortoise because they use their burrows for nests. The nest burrow can be several yards long and is usually less than 3 feet deep, but size depends on the mammal that originally excavated it. Burrows tend to make numerous twists and turns, with a mound of dirt at the entrance and an opening at least 4–6 inches wide. Burrowing adult owls are mottled brown and white with yellow eyes and a yellow bill. They have prominent white eyebrows and a white "chin" patch. The burrowing owl is about the same length/height as an American Robin but much bulkier. Breeding season runs from February to August depending on the region. They typically live six to eight years in the wild. Insects and small mammals make up the majority of their food items. Unlike most owls, burrowing owls are active during the daytime. Between forays for food, they sleep on dirt mounds at their burrow entrances or on depressions in the ground. Due to many factors, burrowing owls are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and considered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to be a bird of conservation need.
穴鴞又稱穴小鴞，是一種小型長腿貓頭鷹，因住在洞穴而不是樹上而得名。遍布北美和南美的開闊地帶。常見於草原、牧場、農業區、沙漠，或者低植被的乾燥區域。它們經常與草原犬鼠族群和其他穴居動物（例如地松鼠或陸龜）聯想在一起，因為它們以洞穴作為巢穴。巢穴可以有幾碼長，通常不到 3 英尺深，但大小取決於最初挖掘它的哺乳動物。洞穴往往會迂迴曲折，入口處有一堆泥土，開口至少有 4-6 英寸寬。成年穴鴞有棕色和白色斑點，黃色的眼睛和黃色的喙。它們有顯眼的白色眉毛和白色的“下巴”斑塊。穴鴞的長度/高度與美國知更鳥大致相同，但較笨重。繁殖季節為二月至八月，野生的穴鴞通常能活六到八年。它們主要吃昆蟲和小型哺乳動物。與大多數貓頭鷹不同，穴鴞在白天很活躍。在尋找食物的間隙，它們會睡在洞穴入口的土堆上或地面的凹坑處。因為許多因素，穴鴞受到《候鳥條約法》的保護，並被美國魚類和野生動物管理局視為需要保護的鳥類。
Notes 筆記
- The burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia), also called the shoco, is a small, long-legged owl that nests in underground burrows instead of trees. They are found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. In North America, their range extends from Canada (British Columbia) all the way through Mexico to western Panamá. In the western of US, known resident populations inhabit areas including Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and California. They are also found across the state of Florida, as well as some Caribbean islands. They inhabit every country across South America except in dense Amazon interiors and the highest Andes. They are widely distributed from southern Brazil and the Pantanal down to Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego.
- Burrowing owls can be found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or any other open, dry area with low vegetation. They are often associated with prairie dog towns and other burrowing animals such as ground squirrel, or tortoise because they use their burrows for nests. The nest burrow can be several yards long and is usually less than 3 feet deep, but size depends on the mammal that originally excavated it. Burrows tend to make numerous twists and turns, with a mound of dirt at the entrance and an opening at least 4–6 inches wide. When owls dig their own burrows, the process may take several days, but it takes them less time to prepare the burrow for nesting when they use an existing burrow.
- Burrowing adult owls are mottled brown and white with yellow eyes and a yellow bill. They have prominent white eyebrows and a white "chin" patch. Juvenile owls are similar in appearance, but they lack most of the white spotting above and brown barring below. Males and females are similar in size and appearance. Females tend to be heavier. Adult males appear lighter in color than females because they spend more time outside the burrow during daylight. The burrowing owl measures 7.5-9.8 in (19-25 cm) long and wingspan 21.6 in (55 cm), and weighs 5.3 oz (150 g). It is about the same length/height as an American Robin but much bulkier.
- Burrowing owls are not especially vocal, though they are capable of producing a variety of cooing, warbling, rasping, clucking, screaming and rattling sounds. The most common call is a quail-like, two-note cooing made by males during mating and territorial defense. Young owls will utter eep calls, as well as rasping sounds, which may scare away predators by mimicking a rattlesnake’s warning.
- Breeding season runs from February to August depending on the region. Females will lay a clutch of 2 to 12 smooth white eggs about one inch (3 cm) in diameter over the course of a week, laying one egg per day. She then incubates the eggs for 3–4 weeks while the male brings her food and stands guard from a nearby perch. Two weeks after hatching, juveniles are ready to walk around outside the burrow but will not leave the nest for about six weeks. Juveniles begin learning to fly after four weeks. They start chasing live insects after seven or eight weeks, but they remain with their parents until they are able to sustain themselves at about 12 weeks old. Burrowing owls become sexually mature after one year, and typically live six to eight years in the wild.
- While insects and small mammals make up the majority of their food items, they will eat anything they can physically handle. They may feed on grasshoppers, beetles, crickets, mice, snakes, lizards, turtles, bats, young rabbits, small birds, and ducklings etc. When food is plentiful, burrowing owls often stow extra food to ensure they have an adequate supply during incubation and brooding periods.
- Unlike most owls, burrowing owls are active during the daytime. During the non-breeding season, they become more nocturnal. Burrowing owls spend most of their time on the ground or on low perches like fence posts. They usually hunt close to the ground and clutch prey in its talons. Between forays for food, they sleep on dirt mounds at their burrow entrances or on depressions in the ground.
- Burrowing Owls have a higher tolerance for carbon dioxide than other birds—an adaptation found in other burrowing animals, which spend long periods underground, where the gas can accumulate to higher levels than found above ground.
- Threats to burrowing owl habitat include, agriculture, construction and development activities, as well as the eradication of prairie dog colonies and other burrowing mammals. Fragmentation and isolation from habitat loss may create additional threats to burrowing owls in breeding areas as unpaired owls may not be able to find mates in small and localized populations. Pesticides, collisions with vehicles, feral animals, electrified fences, collisions with wind turbines and shooting are also sources of mortality for these birds. Climate change leading to increased fires, spring heat waves, drought, as well as flooding, may also impact burrowing owl populations. This species is listed as endangered in Canada, and a species with special protection in Mexico. In the United States it is listed as endangered in Minnesota, threatened in Colorado and Florida and as a species of concern in California, Montana, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. It is considered vulnerable or imperiled in almost all states in its range. Burrowing owls are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and considered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to be a bird of conservation need.
- 穴鴞又稱穴小鴞，是一種小型長腿貓頭鷹，因住在洞穴而不是樹上而得名。遍布北美和南美的開闊地帶。在北美，它們的活動範圍從加拿大（不列顛哥倫比亞省）一直延伸到墨西哥、巴拿馬西部。在美國西部，已知的繁殖區在科羅拉多州、亞利桑那州、新墨西哥州、德州和加州。它們也分佈在佛羅裡達州以及一些加勒比海島嶼。除了茂密的亞馬遜內陸地區和最高的安第斯山脈，它們幾乎存在於南美洲的每個國家。它們主要分佈於巴西南部和潘塔納爾濕地，一直到巴塔哥尼亞和火地群島。
- 穴鴞常見於草原、牧場、農業區、沙漠，或者低植被的乾燥區域。它們經常與草原犬鼠族群和其他穴居動物（例如地松鼠或陸龜）聯想在一起，因為它們以洞穴作為巢穴。巢穴可以有幾碼長，通常不到 3 英尺深，但大小取決於最初挖掘它的哺乳動物。洞穴往往會迂迴曲折，入口處有一堆泥土，開口至少有 4-6 英寸寬。當鴞挖自己的洞穴時，這個過程可能需要幾天的時間，但當它們使用現有的洞穴時，它們準備築巢的時間會更少。
- 成年穴鴞有棕色和白色斑點，黃色的眼睛和黃色的喙。它們有顯眼的白色眉毛和白色的“下巴”斑塊。幼年穴鴞的外觀與成年的相似，但它們比較沒有上面的白色斑點和下面的棕色條紋。雄性和雌性的大小和外觀相似。雌性通常較重，雄性通常較修長。成年雄性的顏色比雌性淺，因為它們白天在洞穴外的時間更多。穴鴞長 7.5-9.8 英吋（19-25 公分），翼展 21.6 英吋（55 公分），重 5.3 盎司（150 公克）。它的長度/高度與美國知更鳥大致相同，但較笨重。
- 穴鴞並不是常出聲，雖然它們能夠發出各種咕咕聲、鳴叫聲、刺耳聲、咯咯聲、尖叫聲和嘎嘎聲。最常見的叫聲是雄性在交配和保衛領地時發出的類似鵪鶉的兩聲咕咕聲。幼年的鴞會發出驚叫聲和刺耳的聲音，可能是模仿響尾蛇的警報來嚇跑掠食者。
- 繁殖季節為二月至八月，取決於地區。雌性每天產一顆蛋，在一週內會產下一窩 2-12 個直徑約 1 英吋（3 公分）的光滑白色蛋，接著孵化 3-4 週，這期間雄性會為她帶來食物，並在附近的棲息地守衛。孵化後兩週，幼鳥便可以在洞穴外走動，但大約六週內不會離開巢穴。四個星期後，幼鳥開始學習飛行。七、八週後，它們開始追捕活昆蟲，但它們會一直和父母在一起，直到大約 12 週大時它們能夠供養自己的生活。穴鴞一年後性成熟，野生的穴鴞通常能活六到八年。
- 雖然昆蟲和小型哺乳動物是它們的大部分食物，但它們會吃任何它們能吃得下的東西。它們可能以蚱蜢、甲蟲、蟋蟀、老鼠、蛇、蜥蜴、烏龜、蝙蝠、幼兔、小鳥和小鴨等為食。當食物充足時，穴鴞會儲存額外的食物，以確保它們在孵化和育雛期間有足夠的供應。
- 與大多數貓頭鷹不同，穴鴞在白天很活躍。在非繁殖季節，它們較多在夜間活動。穴鴞大部分時間都在地上或低矮的圍籬樁棲息。它們通常靠近地面捕獵，並用爪子抓住獵物。在尋找食物的間隙，它們會睡在洞穴入口的土堆上或地面的凹坑處。
- 穴鴞比其他鳥類對二氧化碳具有更高的耐受性，這是其他穴居動物的一種適應能力，它們在地下生活很長時間，其中氣體積累的水平比地面上的水平更高
- 農業、建築和開發活動，以及對草原犬鼠群落和其他穴居哺乳動物的根除，都對穴鴞棲息地構成威脅。因棲息地喪失而來的分散和隔離可能會對繁殖區的穴鴞形成額外的威脅，因為未配對的鴞可能無法在小規模和局部的族群中找到配偶。殺蟲劑、與車輛的碰撞、野生動物、電鐵絲網、與風力發電機的碰撞以及槍擊也是導致它們死亡的來源。氣候變遷導致火災增加、春季熱浪、乾旱以及洪水，也可能影響穴鴞的數量。穴鴞在加拿大被列為瀕危物種，在墨西哥被列為特殊保護物種。在美國，它在明尼蘇達州被列為瀕危物種，在科羅拉多州和佛羅裡達州被列為受威脅物種，在加州、蒙大拿州、俄克拉荷馬州、俄勒岡州、猶他州、華盛頓州和懷俄明州被列為受關注物種。在它活動範圍內，幾乎所有州都認為它是脆弱無助或陷入危險中的。穴鴞受到《候鳥條約法》的保護，並被美國魚類和野生動物管理局視為需要保護的鳥類。
References 參考資料
- All about birds: Burrowing Owl
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Burrowing Owl
- Wikipedia: Burrowing owl
- 維基百科: 穴鴞
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