My photograph of a burrowing owl led The Times News in Pictures gallery on Thursday, April 17. The same gallery also carried a second photo of mine, a pair of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, giving me two images in one of the world’s most recognized photojournalism outlets on the same day.
The Story Behind the Photo
I captured this image in Davie, Florida, standing watch at the entrance to its burrow. Unlike most owls, burrowing owls are active during the day, which is part of what makes them such rewarding subjects for wildlife photography. Florida’s burrowing owls average around nine inches tall, among the smallest owls in the state, and they often dig and maintain their own burrows rather than relying on ones left by other animals, unlike western populations that typically move into abandoned prairie dog or ground squirrel burrows. Their long legs and bright yellow eyes give them an alert, upright posture that I try to capture every time I photograph one.
Interesting Facts About Florida Burrowing Owls
- Florida has its own subspecies, the Florida burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia floridana), found throughout the peninsula with smaller populations in the Panhandle and the Keys.
- In 2017, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reclassified the Florida burrowing owl from a species of special concern to a state-designated threatened species, largely due to ongoing habitat loss.
- A finished burrow typically runs five to ten feet long, and Florida owls usually dig it themselves rather than moving into one abandoned by another animal.
- They favor open, sunny habitat with short ground cover, including golf courses, airports, pastures, and vacant lots, a preference found throughout the Florida peninsula, not just in one region.
- When a burrow is disturbed, young owls can make a buzzing call that closely mimics a rattlesnake, a defense that discourages predators from digging in after them.
- Cape Coral, Florida, holds the largest known population of the species in the state, with more than 2,500 recorded burrows within city limits.
- A typical clutch ranges from a few eggs up to about a dozen, incubated for roughly a month before the chicks hatch.