Burrowing Owls are listed as Endangered in Canada and Threatened in Mexico. They are considered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to be a Bird of Conservation Concern at the national level, in three USFWS regions, and in nine Bird Conservation Regions. At the state level, Burrowing Owls are listed as Endangered in Minnesota, Threatened in Colorado, and as a Species of Concern in California, Montana, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

The Institute for Bird Populations (IBP) conducted a Breeding Burrowing Owl Survey for California from 1991-1993. The findings of that IBP study documented the occurrence of a 50%+ decline in the last decade (since the early 1980s) throughout the SF Bay Area. According to the latest IBP survey conducted in 2006-2007 and recently analyzed, burrowing owls have continued to undergo declines since completion of the previous survey 15 years ago. These results were presented at the Burrowing Owl Consortium meeting on February 6, 2010, and highlight an 8% California statewide decline and an incredible 27% population drop in the SF Bay-Delta Region since 1993.

Although the burrowing owl is recognized as a species of concern at both the state and federal level, a number of factors are contributing to their continued decline across North America. Specifically, the control and elimination of burrowing (fossorial) mammals and habitat loss. Additionally, burrowing owls routinely fall victim to developers that unknowingly destroy nests, young and adults during construction and vegetation control (i.e. disking) activities.

In California, burrowing owls are also at risk from weak laws and outdated policies including but not limited to:

California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) - Environmental Impact Reports (EIR) frequently do not take significant biological impacts into account and loss of burrowing owl habitat is often not replaced or mitigated.

Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) & Natural Communities Conservation Plans (NCCP)- Involves decades to develop and to obtain appropriate approvals while the amount of replacement burrowing owl habitat is often inadequate to ensure species conservation or may be absent altogether.

Migratory Bird Treaty Act- Has limited legal interpretation to provide for the protection of burrows.

California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG)- Denied petition in 2003 to list burrowing owls under California Endangered Species Act, has not developed a Comprehensive Burrowing Owl Conservation Strategy, promotes outdated conservation guidelines, approves eviction plans without monitoring or banding, and continues to utilize methods that are resulting in the direct death or indirect death (i.e. starvation, predation) of burrowing owls.

To learn more about Burrowing Owl Conservation Network's projects in regards to these and other issues, please visit our Projects & Programs page.