Marco-Talk Blog

This guy hangs out on San Marco Road. True to its name, the Burrowing Owl nests in a hole in the ground. Although it is quite willing to dig its own burrow, it often uses one already provided by skunks, armadillos, or tortoises. Populations are declining in many areas; listed as endangered or threatened in some states and provinces. Collision with cars is a major source of mortality. Human activities have decreased the species' range in Florida.

Carl Hiaasen's novel Hoot is set in Florida where friends try to stop construction of a house which would destroy a colony of Burrowing owls.