Living on America’s Western Great Plains, a few on our West Coast, and even some on America’s southwestern deserts, is an unusual ground nesting owl called the burrowing owl.

This small and rather long-legged owl also has a Florida subspecies found at various locations throughout that state. Since more of you would more likely travel to or live in Florida, I’ll focus this column on these “neat” birds.

The eastern screech owl is our smallest most common owl and is about 8 inches in size. In comparison, the burrowing owls are about an inch or inch and a half larger. The screech owl is, as you are aware, mostly nocturnal, while the burrowing owls can regularly be seen in daytime and will “hunt” then as well.

The Midwestern burrowing owl numbers dropped as the prairie dog numbers decreased. More intense grazing and agriculture didn’t leave room for the burrowing rodents, and many prairie dog towns were destroyed or they were poisoned. These western owls depended on the burrows dug by the prairie dogs, so as they decreased, so did these ground-dwelling owls.

The burrowing owls of Florida have seen their “ups and downs,” and knowing the need for more and more housing and developments, it is no wonder they face challenges there, too. Burrowing owls in Florida find the sandy, softer soil easier to excavate their den sites, but these open space areas are being lost. Florida’s Atlantic Coast has seen the biggest loss of owls, but a few cities on the Gulf Coast have actually found unique plans to help the owls.

The city of Marco Island has exploded in popularity, and it seems that very little open space is left untouched by builders. To help the owls, Marco Island officials starting offering homeowners and lot owners $250 to dig a specifically designed hole on their property to make more nesting areas for any owls looking to expand their range. This plan has helped and actually increased awareness and appreciation of these birds.

If your travels take you near Marco Island, take a drive through the community and you will see stakes in the ground, connected with ropes, encircling an area of about 10 by 15 feet. Inside this roped-off area, look for a small wooden post (almost like an old western movie graveyard cross). The posts are added to offer a perch for the owls. Sandy soil is left mounded near the hole for them to perch and more easily identify a possible place to nest.

Surprisingly, the owls have adapted well to walkers, joggers, bikers and even town traffic moving around sometimes 20 or 30 feet from the burrows. Florida’s good populations of anoles (commonly called chameleons), geckos, large insects, and some small rodents and amphibians has supplied them with plenty of food.

Cape Coral is another community hosting a good number of burrowing owls. Probably good publicity, and the “cutest owl looks,” have helped the owl get protections in order for them to survive. These owls also find the short grass near golf courses and airports to their liking as well. Hopefully, if you’re interested, you’ll get to see some of these unique owls.

Test Your Outdoor Knowledge: Does Pennsylvania host any lizard species?

Last Week’s Trivia Answer: The beaver is North America’s largest rodent species weighing nearly 60 pounds.

Contact Barry Reed at breed71@gmail.com.