Burrowing Owl
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Burrowing Owl
Bird
A long-legged little owl of the Americas that, unusually, is often active by day and nests underground in burrows — frequently ones abandoned by prairie dogs or other diggers.
Name Story
Athene cunicularia
means “Athena's burrower”
What does its name mean?
- Athene — for the goddess Athena, whose bird was the owlGreek
- cunicularia — burrower, of tunnelsLatin, from cuniculus 'rabbit, burrow'
Most owls roost in trees, but this one lives down a tunnel in the ground — often an old rabbit or prairie-dog burrow, and it can dig its own — which is just what 'burrower' means.