The western burrowing owl is now one step closer to state protections

California’s western burrowing owls may soon see greater protections as a petition to list some populations of the bird as endangered has advanced through a state agency.

This is the first major hurdle advocates for the species needed to clear, and some protections could take effect on a preliminary basis as soon as October. Still, there are several more steps before the state considers some populations of the owl to be endangered.

Path to protection

The process of protecting the burrowing owl started after six environmental groups filed a petition for some populations of the species to be listed as endangered. This week, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife recommended passing the petition to another state board for another level of approval: designating the species a “candidate” to be considered endangered.

“We're hoping they take action in October,” said conservation advocate Jeff Miller of the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the groups that recommended the protections for the burrowing owl. “I don't see any reason why it shouldn't be [designated as a candidate species]. It really does qualify.”

The committee will hear the petition later this month, and the next step will take place on Oct. 10 in front of the Fish and Game Commission, which sets rules that the Department of Fish and Wildlife enforces. At that point, the Fish and Game Commission will determine whether the burrowing owl meets the standards to be listed as a “candidate” for protections.

If the owl qualifies, the commission will determine what protections are needed. In that case, the owl would remain protected during a full review process conducted by the Department of Fish and Wildlife, which will last 12 to 18 months.

Conservation advocates for the burrowing owl say time is already running out for many populations across the state, and that this will be a big help for the owl.

“It's a good feature of the state version of the Endangered Species Act, this kind of precautionary principle,” Miller said. “That's especially needed for a species like the burrowing owl.”

The wildlife protection law

The western burrowing owl is relatively widespread, from Canada to the Western U.S. to Central America and is not listed as a protected species overall. But under the California Endangered Species Act, certain populations of an animal can still be protected. (This plays an important role in conservation: Consider how many populations of mountain lions face threats due to human development even though population numbers for the species overall are not cause a concern.)

State officials will decide whether to protect certain populations of the owl or focus on specific areas that are most threatened.

For their part, petitioners are only asking to protect the southwestern population of burrowing owls, which used to extend into Los Angeles County but are now largely confined to western Riverside County and southwestern San Bernardino County, according to Miller.

“Those are places where development is just proceeding at a pretty breakneck pace, so we're losing those populations very quickly,” Miller said.

The petitioners are also asking for burrowing owl populations in the Central Coast and San Francisco Bay Area to be considered endangered.

About the burrowing owl

The western burrowing owl, which Miller described as “adorable,” is different from many other species of owl in that it makes its home from burrows created by mammals like the California ground squirrel — and it’s unique that it both nests and roosts underground.

The western burrowing owl’s habitat is mainly grasslands and low-lying flat areas that are also targeted for farmland and construction, especially as California’s housing and development boom expands even further into the species’ habitat. This construction has caused burrowing owl populations to plummet in certain regions.

“We are losing burrowing owls everywhere, including places where they were formerly very numerous, and it was thought they were kind of the strongholds for the species,” Miller said. “Just since 2018, we've just seen the numbers plummet statewide.”

Even in a worst-case scenario where the species went extinct locally, you may still see burrowing owls in Southern California. But that doesn’t mean the native populations are coming back. Many owls breed in more northern habitats and migrate south, but conservation experts are concerned with maintaining a steady breeding population in all parts of the state.

While populations overall are on the decline, preservation efforts of some breeding populations in California have seen success. A few populations in urban counties have survived due to organizations like the San Diego Zoo performing “triage emergency measures,” including captive breeding and the feeding of juvenile owls, Miller said.