Animals

They are largely diurnal or crepescular in hunting activity. They will hunt from an observation point, or will hover in the air close to the ground, pouncing on the prey, burying talons in the back and pecking viciously at the neck. Burrowing owls also catch insects in flight. They often live in permanent pair bonds, sleeping in underground burrows, sometimes with several pairs in the same area. Burrowing owls used to breed in colonies, but these have largely disappeared in recent years. Now only in suitable terrain, where food is abundant, will there be ten or more pairs in a 2-3 acre site.
Courtship begins in April with the pair sitting together, rubbing heads and issuing soft cooing sounds. Nesting begins in May, with brood sites being abandoned holes of prairie dogs, badgers, skunks, and armadillos.
The clutch has 5-9 glossy, white eggs, which both parents incubate for approximately one month. Food is brought by both parents until the young are fully fledged, usually sometime in July. Young are often found out of the burrow but near it, awaiting the parents' return with food. They are sexually mature at one year.