Conservation of the Burrowing Owl in western North America:: Issues, challenges, and recommendations

Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia) are undergoing mild to relatively severe local and regional population declines throughout much of western North America. In Canada, Burrowing Owls are declining precipitously and are listed as endangered. In the United States of America, Burrowing Owls continue to decline in many states, but they are not listed federally. In Mexico, there is little quantitative data, but the species is listed as threatened. Here, we propose a conservation plan with five major action components: status, management and conservation, education, research, and administration. Given continued declines of Burrowing Owls in many parts of western North America, we urge increased cooperation among interested agencies and organizations to implement effective conservation of this species.