Burrowing owls are unique and fascinating birds that live in underground burrows. They get their name from their habit of nesting and living in burrows that have been dug out by other animals like prairie dogs, ground squirrels, and badgers. Burrowing owls are found in grasslands, prairies, deserts, and agricultural areas throughout North and South America. These small owls have several interesting behaviors when it comes to nesting and laying eggs. In this article, we will explore the questions: do burrowing owls lay down? How do they lay their eggs and care for their young in underground burrows?
Burrowing owls do not actually dig their own burrows from scratch. Instead, they rely on existing abandoned burrows built by mammals like prairie dogs or ground squirrels. The owls will often line the burrows with materials like dung, feathers, and grass to create a nesting chamber. Burrowing owls are well adapted to life underground. Their legs are longer than many other owls, and their feathers are more brown to blend in with dirt. Their eyes are also larger to help them see in dim burrow light.
Do Burrowing Owls Lay Down to Lay Eggs?
When it comes time to lay eggs, burrowing owls display some unique nesting behaviors. So do burrowing owls lay down to lay their eggs? The answer is no. Unlike many bird species, burrowing owls do not create an elevated nest where they can sit or lay down. Because their nests are underground, the owls must lay their eggs directly on the bare ground of the burrow floor.
Mother owls will lay between 2-12 white eggs over the course of several days. The eggs are laid while the owl stands upright. Sometimes she will even continue to stand over the eggs after laying them. The eggs are not arranged in any special nest. Instead, they remain loosely scattered on the burrow floor.
Why Don’t Burrowing Owls Sit on a Nest?
Many people may wonder why burrowing owls don’t construct a nest or at least lay their eggs in some sort of gathered material. There are a few reasons why burrowing owls lay their eggs directly on the ground:
– Underground burrows provide natural protection for eggs and chicks. The burrow helps insulate and protects the eggs from predators.
– Sitting directly on the ground allows the owls to incubate the eggs with their body heat more easily.
– Gathering materials and constructing a nest takes time and energy. Laying eggs on the ground is simply more efficient.
– Burrowing owls change burrows frequently. A permanent nest would be left behind if the owls switched burrows.
So while unusual compared to other birds, laying eggs directly on the protected burrow floor makes sense for burrowing owls and their underground lifestyle. It allows them to effectively incubate and care for their chicks.
How Do Burrowing Owls Incubate and Care for Eggs?
Once the female has laid all her eggs, incubation begins. Like most bird species, burrowing owls share duties of incubating their eggs and tending to the nest. However, their underground nesting behaviors require some special adaptations:
Incubating Eggs Undergroung
Burrowing owls incubate their eggs like most birds by transferring heat from their bodies to the eggs. However, sitting directly on the ground can be taxing. Burrowing owl parents will take shifts incubating the eggs. The male owl will incubate the eggs through the day, and the female will take over at night. During incubation recesses, parents may bury the eggs with material to help insulate them.
Protecting Eggs from Burrow Invaders
Another challenge burrowing owls face is protecting their vulnerable eggs from snakes, weasels, and other burrow intruders. If parents sense a threat, they may hiss, puff up, flutter wings, or confront the intruder directly. Some pairs have been observed collecting dung from nearby cattle fields and smearing it around the burrow entrance. This masks the scent of the nest which can deter predators.
Maintaining Needed Humidity
The underground burrow environment requires adaptation as well. Humidity is needed for successful egg incubation, so parent owls may spread their wings to collect condensation on their feathers which is then shaken off over the eggs. Cooler morning dew can also be used to maintain the humidity of the nest chamber.
| Incubation Behavior | Description |
|---|---|
| Shared incubation | Male and female share sitting on the eggs |
| Burying eggs | Temporarily bury eggs to insulate them when away from nest |
| Protecting from predators | Hiss, puff up, confront intruders, disguise burrow scent |
| Increasing humidity | Spread wings to collect dew, shake off over eggs |
Raising Burrowing Owl Chicks Underground
After around three weeks, the burrowing owl eggs will begin hatching. The chicks emerge weak and covered in white downy feathers. Like the eggs, new owl chicks are essentially raised on the bare burrow floor:
Feeding the Chicks
For their first few weeks, owl chicks are entirely dependent on their parents for food. Parents hunt night and day to provide enough food for their chicks. They’ll capture insects, small rodents, reptiles, amphibians, and even small birds. Food is swallowed whole, then carried back to the burrow in the owl’s throat and regurgitated for the chicks to eat. As chicks get older, parents simply carry prey items back whole.
Dealing with Chick Waste
With a nest full of growing chicks, waste management becomes an issue. Unlike tree nests that allow waste to fall away, burrowing owl chicks defecate directly in the burrow. The parents help keep things clean by eating the fecal sacs of newly hatched chicks. As the chicks grow, parents carry waste out of the burrow and discard it away from the entrance.
Fledging from the Burrow
After around 5 weeks in the burrow, the chicks are ready to take their first flights! This is called fledging. At first, the fledglings will stay very close to the burrow entrance where parents continue to feed and tend to them. As their flight skills improve, the young owls start venturing further away from the burrow mouth during the night to hunt while still returning to the safety of the burrow during the day.
| Chick Care Task | Description |
|---|---|
| Feeding | Hunt insects, rodents, reptiles, etc. Regurgitate food for young chicks |
| Waste removal | Eat fecal sacs of newborns, carry waste out when older |
| Fledging | Chicks take first flights around 5 weeks old |
Raising a clutch of chicks completely underground presents some challenges for burrowing owls. But evolving to successfully breed and raise young in burrows has allowed burrowing owls to thrive in grassland environments around the world.
Conclusion
Burrowing owls have perfectly adapted their nesting and breeding strategies to match their underground lifestyle. Some of their unique behaviors include:
– Laying eggs directly on the ground of their burrow rather than building an elevated nest
– Sharing incubation duties between males and females to keep the eggs warm underground
– Protecting their burrow from predators that may threaten vulnerable chicks
– Caring for fast-growing chicks in the confined space of an underground burrow
– Fledging chicks that quickly learn to hunt from the burrow opening
So while they may appear unusual compared to other birds, these behaviors allow burrowing owls to successfully raise their young hidden beneath the ground. Their unique underground nesting habits have helped earn them a secure place living on prairies, grasslands, and agricultural lands across the Americas.
