Burrowing owl

Beautiful stamps!

Burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) are so named because they live underground in burrows that have been dug out by small mammals like ground squirrels and prairie dogs. They are covered in brown spotted feathers and have long legs. They also sport distinctive white “eyebrows” above bright yellow eyes. They are one of the smallest owls in North America.

Diet

Burrowing owls eat small mammals such as moles and mice during late spring and early summer. Later they switch to insects, especially grasshoppers and beetles. Burrowing owls are also known to eat birds, amphibians and reptiles.
Population

Range

Current burrowing owl population estimates are not well known but trend data suggests significant declines across their range. Most recent official estimates place them at less than 10,000 breeding pairs.
Range

Behavior

Burrowing owls are distributed from the Mississippi to the Pacific and from the Canadian prairie provinces into South America. They are also found in Florida and the Caribbean islands. Burrowing owls have disappeared from much of their historic range. [source: defenders.org]

Thank you very much Lars!