Vote for Audubon California Bird of the Year 2013
They’re cute, they’re small, they’re charismatic, they break all the rules (active during the day and live on the ground), and they’re in a heap of trouble in California.
Urban Bird Foundation and our Burrowing Owl Conservation Network program have been fighting to secure the future of this incredible species in urban and suburban settings since 2008. And what better way to shine a spotlight on the plight burrowing owls than casting your vote for the burrowing owl as Audubon California Bird of the Year 2013!
Burrowing owls are an incredibly unique species and they are the only raptor in North America to nest exclusively underground. Burrowing owl populations in California and North America still face the same primary threats they did three decades ago. Habitat loss, the prevalence of invasive plants, and the control of ground squirrels and other host burrowers (e.g. prairie dogs, badgers, and coyotes) have caused burrowing owls to decline across the state of California. In addition to dramatic declines over the last fifteen years, recent surveys have indicated burrowing owls have declined by as much as 36% in the Imperial Valley and by 28% in the San Francisco Bay-Delta region. This decline is on top of a 50%+ decrease in the San Francisco Bay-Delta region population observed from the early 1980s to 1993. We at Urban Bird Foundation find this simply unacceptable!
We love them and we know you love them, so let’s make a burrowing owl conservation statement and christen 2013 as the year of the burrowing owl. Vote now for Audubon California Bird of the Year 2013 (CLICK HERE to VOTE), tell your friends, share across your social network, and visit us at Burrowing Owl Conservation Network to learn what we are doing and how you can help the burrowing owl in your communities.
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I am voting for burrowing owl for 2013 bird of the year…I am no longer living in CA but I have a pair of burrowing owls that spend the spring and summer in my front yard…they are now off to warmer climates….:)
Thanks Jacky! California is actually considered the most important state for wintering burrowing owls so your vote is very important for all our owls.
I am a Native American and I am Acjachemen also known as Juaneno from San Juan Capistrano, California. My Indian name is Cucumel which is the name of the burrowing owl in our story of Creation. So I’m casting my vote!!
Thanks Maria! And what a great connection you have to burrowing owls.
My vote is for the Burrowimg Owl…. an entire year will just touch the surface of recognition this one deserves?
I am also casting my vote for the burrowing owls … they are so cool! Thanks for all your efforts on their behalf.