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North AmericaBurrowing owl
Athene cunicularia
The Burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) is a bird found in United States, Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Chile. Open grasslands and deserts across the Americas. It eats small mammals and birds, insects and other small invertebrates and reptiles and frogs. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
See the Burrowing owl on the 3D globe →| Scientific name | Athene cunicularia |
|---|---|
| Region | North America |
| Found in | United States, Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Chile |
🏡 Where the Burrowing owl lives
Open grasslands and deserts across the Americas.
🍽️ What it eats
- 🐭 Mammals & birds70%
- 🐛 Insects & bugs20%
- 🦎 Reptiles & frogs10%
A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).
Conservation status
Hear the Burrowing owl
Recorded by Mauricio Cuellar Ramirez (@Birding.travel) (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC695087. Trimmed to a few seconds.
Questions about the Burrowing owl
Where does the Burrowing owl live?
The Burrowing owl lives in United States, Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Chile. Open grasslands and deserts across the Americas.
What does the Burrowing owl eat?
small mammals and birds (about 70%), insects and other small invertebrates (about 20%), reptiles and frogs (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.
Is the Burrowing owl endangered?
There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.
More birds from North America
Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.