Burrowing Owls

Burrowing Owls/Patricia Corapi

The Western Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) is a small, ground-dwelling species of owl found in North and South America. Native to open landscapes with low vegetation such as grasslands, prairies, and deserts, it nests in underground burrows abandoned by other animals.1 Southern populations of the Burrowing Owl are year-round residents; northern populations are migratory and fly south to overwinter in warmer conditions.  

Human development-driven habitat loss coupled with population declines of burrowing mammals poses a serious threat to Burrowing Owl populations. Total Burrowing Owl numbers have dropped by at least 33% since 1965. The decline has been particularly steep in California, where numbers have fallen by 60% and coastal breeding populations have been  nearly extirpated.2 As a result, the Burrowing Owl has recently been designated as a candidate species for the threatened and endangered list under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). As a candidate species, Burrowing Owls have the full protection of CESA while the listing process is finalized.

Before extensive urban development, the San Francisco Bay Area’s coastal prairies and grassland provided habitat for both resident and migratory populations of Burrowing Owls. Now, however, the region hosts fewer than 25 resident breeding pairs and  a dwindling number of overwintering birds.3 Protecting the remaining habitat is critical to sustaining their populations and preventing local extinction in the Bay Area.

Cesar Chavez Park in Berkeley has remained a Burrowing Owl overwintering ground for over three decades. In 2011, a fence was erected around the Burrowing Owl habitat to protect the owls from human disturbance. Burrowing owls are most likely to nest on open land with little to no visual obstruction4, and the low height and minimalistic design of the fence minimizes habitat disturbance to the owls while serving as a symbolic reminder for parkgoers – especially dog walkers – to be mindful of Burrowing Owl grounds. Although a more robust fence could offer more protection against people and their pets, it would inadvertently compromise Burrowing Owl safety by providing a perching area for known avian predators5 and obstructing the owls’ line of sight, which could discourage them from overwintering in Cesar Chavez Park.

Golden Gate Bird Alliance has worked with the Berkeley Recreation, Parks and Waterfront Department since 2009 to maintain quality habitat for Burrowing Owls at Cesar Chavez and to monitor Burrowing Owl populations along the Berkeley waterfront. Our data, collected with the help of our volunteer monitoring program, has helped us better understand local Burrowing Owl needs and raise public awareness about their conservation. If you are interested in participating in our monitoring program, please contact info@goldengatebirds.org

If you see a Burrowing Owl at your local park or natural area, feel free to observe it from a distance, but please do not approach it. You can help contribute to research and conservation efforts by logging your observations on citizen science platforms such as eBird and iNaturalist. Thank you for helping protect our Bay Area Burrowing Owls!


  1. https://www.fws.gov/species/burrowing-owl-athene-cunicularia ↩︎
  2. https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/state-protections-sought-for-vanishing-california-burrowing-owls-2024-03-05/ ↩︎
  3. https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/rare-animal-brink-extinction-bay-area-19367930.php ↩︎
  4. Thiele, Jason P., Kristel K. Bakker, and Charles D. Dieter. “Multiscale nest site selection by Burrowing Owls in western South Dakota.” The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 125.4 (2013): 763-774. ↩︎
  5. https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/burowl/cur/demography#mort ↩︎

Burrowing Owl at Cesar Chavez Park / Photo by Doug Donaldson

Burrowing Owls on the East Shore of San Francisco Bay

Each winter a small number of Burrowing Owls come to spend a few months along the eastern shoreline of San Francisco Bay.  The owls have been observed in East Shore State Park, Cesar Chavez Park and the Tom Bates Sports Complex in Berkeley, at Martin Luther King, Jr. Shoreline Park in Alameda, and at a few other locations.  Burrowing Owls are also found in the South Bay. The winter migrants come from breeding grounds as far away as Idaho, generally arriving in October and departing in March.

The Golden Gate Bird Alliance Burrowing Owl Docent Program educates the public about the owls and encourages their conservation and protection.  This cooperative effort between the Golden Gate Bird Alliance, the City of Berkeley Marina and the Shorebird Nature Center has been successfully implemented for the past six years.

The Art Installation at the northeast corner of Cesar Chavez Park protects a few of the owls and has signage to educate the public.  Each year Burrowing Owls are also found at several other locations along the North Basin shoreline including the McLaughlin Eastshore State Park and the Tom Bates Sports Complex.

Docents monitor all of these areas on a regular basis, with the goals of:

  • Protecting the over-wintering Burrowing Owls and encouraging their propagation.
  • Educating the public about the presence of Burrowing Owls and the need to protect them and coexist with them.
  • Encouraging the protection of grassland bird species.
  • Helping these charismatic little owls stimulate public interest in bird conservation.
  • Collecting data on Burrowing Owl numbers and their human visitors.

The program requests that docents commit to working for an hour at a time, at least once every two weeks from October through March.

Most docents actually spend at least two hours each time they serve, as time is required to walk to and from the site, and when possible the docents also survey the owls that are present at other locations along the North Basin.  The docents are provided with training and tools so they are comfortable talking to the public, and feel knowledgeable about the owls and their situation.  They are independent and make their own arrangements to work on their own or with a partner or friend.  Binoculars, spotting scopes and other equipment are available as needed.

Conservation Issues

The Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) is a California Species of Special Concern, having been extirpated from much of its former habitat throughout the state, including the Bay Area.  In fact, all over the western United States and Canada Burrowing Owls are counted among the grassland bird species that are slowly disappearing as their habitat is converted to farmland or housing.

Most attention is paid to colonies of breeding Burrowing Owls. However, migratory owls that breed further north in areas where it snows need protection at both their breeding grounds and their wintering grounds, since they are unfortunately losing habitat at both ends of their migratory cycle.  In the Bay Area, these over-wintering owls must compete with humans for desirable shoreline habitat.

The Burrowing Owls need an over-wintering site that offers a safe place to rest on the ground next to a burrow that can be used for hiding from predators.  The owls also need foraging grounds where they can catch their regular diet of insects and small rodents.  The East Bay shoreline provides small patches of this essential habitat mix.  The owls take over burrows from California Ground Squirrels, often in the rip-rap (the large rocks that line the shoreline).

Currently, the only remaining breeding Burrowing Owls around the Bay reside in Mountain View Shoreline Park in the South Bay.

What You Can Do

Some things you can do to support our Burrowing Owl population:

  • Visit Chavez Park to see the owls and learn about their fragile coexistence with humans.
  • Keep your dog on a leash where this is required, and encourage your friends to do the same.
  • If you see a Burrowing Owl, do not approach it.  Remain as far away as possible. Use binoculars, a spotting scope, or telephoto lens to see it better.  Burrowing Owls conserve energy by staying put until the last minute.  Don’t make it leave its safe resting spot just so you can get a good photo.
  • Become a Burrowing Owl Docent with the Golden Gate Bird Alliance.
  • Encourage the State of California Department of Fish and Game to increase protection for Burrowing Owls.
  • Don’t use rodenticides (rat poison) — they can kill owls that eat poisoned rodents.

If you observe an owl in trouble, call the Wild Bird Rescue Hotline at 1-866-WILD-911.

If you observe a serious problem with a dog harassing an owl, contact the City of Berkeley Animal Shelter at 1-510-981-6600.

Docent helps park visitors find an owl / Photo by Doug Donaldson

Burrowing Owl Resources

All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

Burrowing Owl Conservation

See how Burrowing Owls can rotate their heads 270 degrees in this video shot in 2012 at Cesar Chavez Park by Dianne Fristrom.

Burrowing Owl at Cesar Chavez Park by Doug Donaldson
Burrowing Owl at Cesar Chavez Park by Doug Donaldson