Burrowing owls(Athene cunicularia) are a cute little predatory bird. Found in North and South America, I saw a pair when I visited Brasilia, the capital of Brazil. They were staring me down as I tried to cross a six lane road with broken traffic lights and I was definitely surprised to see them in that very public and very exposed site. Obviously there are not many pedestrians in Brasilia…

You can see debris in the background of this next photo, at the mouth of the burrow. This is quite typical of these owls, who sometimes also bring cattle dung in thought to help with the microclimate inside the burrow and to attract insects that the family will then eat.

I found this video on youtube and thought I’d share. Uploaded by youtuber Khodr Chehab, an avid skywatcher and birder, it shows a family of burrowing owls catching some morning sun just outside their burrow. Their typical long legs (that enable them to sprint after prey) and their inquisitive facial disk make for a fun video to watch. Enjoy!