Burrowing Owl: The "Priest of the Prairie Dogs"
 Of
all owls in North America, the Burrowing Owl is one of the better-known
species. Being more diurnal than most owls, people are more aware
of this species. All who have come in contact with the species
has noted their close association with prairie dogs. Zuni Indians
called this species "priest of the prairie dogs" because of this
association. But because prairie dogs have declined, so have Burrowing
Owls.
Otero Mesa with Blacktail Prairie Dog colonies and open, expansive
grassland have remained one of the better areas for this species.
While some Burrowing Owls have adapted, most populations have
declined, some precipitously. Those in New Mexico have sometimes
used other rodent's burrows as nesting sites but those of prairie
dogs are preferred. With so little native grassland intact in
the United States, Otero Mesa is of added value because of the
presence of so many classic species of the Great Plains and the
northern Chihuahuan Desert. With all the pressures already on
native wildlife, the picture on Burrowing Owls is not encouraging.
In a recent study of Canadian and United States populations there
was no encouraging news. All Canadian populations were listed
as threatened or endangered. In the United States, fifty-four
percent of all jurisdictions reported that Burrowing Owls were
declining; 46 % reported that their status was unclear. Not a
single jurisdiction reported the species as increasing.
With this species in decline across most of its range, places
like Otero Mesa become even more important. Healthy prairie dog
colonies, open spaces, and grassland are all that is needed for
the continued survival of this species. In areas where this is
found, there will also be found stable populations of Burrowing
Owls. The "Priest of the Prairie Dogs" lived for eons in a mixture
of prairie dogs, rattlesnakes, Ferruginous Hawks and a hundred
other species that made up that mosaic of life. Most of that can
still be found on Otero Mesa, including the long-legged, big-eyed
owl of the prairies.
|
