Burrowing Owls and Dogs in Florida

Burrowing owls are small, ground-living owls that nest in holes in open ground, and in places like Cape Coral and Marco Island those holes are in vacant lots, road shoulders and front lawns right where people walk dogs. The owls are a state-threatened species, their burrows are protected by law, and a dog that sniffs, digs at or charges a burrow can hurt eggs and chicks you never saw. The whole job for a dog owner is keeping the dog on a short leash and out of any staked or roped area.

An owl that lives in the ground

Most owls sit in trees at night. Burrowing owls stand on the ground in broad daylight. The UF/IFAS Wildlife of Florida factsheet describes a small owl, up to about 9 inches long, with long legs, bright yellow eyes and no ear tufts, active both day and night and usually seen standing at the mouth of its burrow or on a nearby post. They eat mostly insects such as grasshoppers and beetles, plus the occasional lizard, frog or small rodent.

The burrow is everything: shelter, nest and nursery. Florida birds dig their own in sandy soil or move into gopher tortoise and armadillo holes, and sometimes use pipes and drains. They often live in loose colonies, with several pairs nesting close together, and they decorate the entrance with bits of debris. That is why a single vacant lot can hold more than one burrow and why a dog nosing around the edge of it is a bigger problem than it looks.

Where burrowing owls live in Florida

FWC says the Florida burrowing owl is found in patches and localized areas down the peninsula, in open, treeless places with very little ground cover: pastures, farm fields, golf courses, airports, parks and vacant lots. UF/IFAS lists the highest concentrations in Cape Coral, in urban areas along the Southeast coast, and in the Florida Keys, with small populations elsewhere.

Cape Coral

Cape Coral is famous for its owls, and its many vacant residential lots are exactly the short-grass open ground the birds want. Walking a dog there means passing lots with stakes, rope, small signs and T-shaped perches marking active burrows, sometimes right next to the sidewalk.

Marco Island

Marco Island also has owls nesting in developed neighborhoods. The City of Marco Island protects burrowing owls, their eggs, young and active nests, requires a permit to remove a burrow whether it is active or not, and bars vehicles and equipment from operating or parking within 33 feet of a burrow. That vehicle rule is not about dogs, but it tells you how much room the city expects people to give these nests.

When nesting season makes it matter most

FWC puts the burrowing owl nesting season at February 15 through July 10. Females lay up to eight eggs underground, incubation runs about 28 days, and the young leave the nest at around six weeks. For much of spring, then, there are eggs or flightless chicks inside the burrow and fuzzy youngsters standing at the entrance, colored almost exactly like the sand and dry grass around them.

Adults are small, but they may turn defensive near an active nest. You do not want your dog close enough to find out what they will do, and every time the adults are pushed off the burrow is time they are not guarding or feeding the young.

What the law says

This is not just good manners. FWC lists the Florida burrowing owl as State-designated Threatened, and under Florida Administrative Code rule 68A-27, taking, possessing or selling burrowing owls, their nests (the burrows) or eggs is prohibited without a permit. The birds are also protected by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. FWC and UF/IFAS both name harassment by people and pets as a threat to the birds. If a loose dog digs out or collapses an active burrow, the owner is the one explaining it.

FWC asks people to report destruction or harassment of burrowing owls or their nests to its Wildlife Alert line, 888-404-FWCC (888-404-3922).

How to walk a dog in owl country

• Use a short, fixed leash. Retractable leashes let a dog reach a burrow before you can react.
• Stay outside anything staked, roped, signed or perched. Walk on the sidewalk or the far side of the street, not along the edge of the lot.
• Do not let the dog dig or investigate holes and dirt mounds. Diggers are the biggest concern here; a burrow is exactly the kind of hole a terrier wants to work on.
• Watch for chicks, especially from spring into early summer, and assume they are there even if you see none.
• Do not let the dog mark or loiter at burrow stakes. Keep moving past owl lots.
• Do not feed the owls or put out food near burrows; they hunt insects just fine on their own.

Cats are part of this too. UF/IFAS advises keeping domestic animals away from nest sites, and a free-roaming cat in an owl neighborhood is a real threat to chicks. Keep cats indoors at a rental.

If your dog disturbs a burrow or finds an injured owl

If the dog gets into a marked area, pull it out, leave the area and do not try to repair the burrow yourself. If you think a burrow was damaged or an owl was hurt, call the FWC Wildlife Alert line and let them decide what happens next.

For an injured or grounded owl, keep the dog well away and do not handle the bird. FWC maintains a list of licensed wildlife rehabilitators by county, and the Wildlife Alert line can point you to the nearest one. If an owl or anything else scratched or bit your dog, check for punctures and have a vet look at anything deeper than a surface scratch.

Burrowing owls are one of the best free wildlife sightings in Florida, and you can enjoy them from the sidewalk with a dog at your side. For more, see Florida birdwatching with a dog, Florida birds dogs should never chase, the best pet-friendly places to watch wildlife in Florida and wild parrots in Florida.