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Photo by Lynn Chamberlain
Photo Copyright Lynn Chamberlain
Burrowing owl
Athene cunicularia
NatureServe conservation status
Global (G-rank): G4
State (S-rank): S2
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Species range
(This species occurs during summer and in migration in proper habitat throughout Utah. Haug et al. (1993) mapped all of Utah as within the breeding range of this species. Walters and Sorensen (1993) indicated its presence as a summer resident with breeding documented in all but 3 of the 23 "latilong" blocks covering the state, these 3 being in south-central or southeastern Utah.
Confirmed breeding occurrences are known in at least 17 counties: Box Elder, Cache, Rich, Davis, Salt Lake, Uintah, Tooele, Millard, Beaver, Iron, Carbon, Grand, San Juan, Wayne, Garfield, Kane, and Washington. Occurrences without confirmed breeding are known in three other counties: Juab, Sanpete, and Sevier. G. V. Oliver 2001)
Habitat
Hayward et al. (1976) mentioned the occurrence of this species in Utah "in desert valleys . . . especially in prairie dog colonies." Walters and Sorensen (1983) listed the breeding habitats in Utah as arid grassland, cold desert shrub (including saltbrush and greasewood), and sagebrush-rabbitbrush.
Threats or limiting factors
Loss of habitat to agriculture is considered by most authors to be the greatest threat to this species in Utah. Hayward et al. (1976) mentioned that this species was "mostly driven from the more populated areas [in the valleys along the Wasatch Front] when much of the land was taken up for agriculture." Behle et al. (1985) commented that "with increased utilization of land, it is now usually confined to relatively undisturbed areas." (Haug et al. (1993) identified, in addition to habitat destruction, use of pesticides (insecticides and rodenticides) and vehicle collisions (road mortality) as significant threats. Prairie dog control (persecution and elimination of prairie dogs) is also a threat due to the importance to this species of prairie dog burrows for nest sites. G. V. Oliver 2001)
