Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Idaho
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Western burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) are declining or have disappeared from many portions of their historic breeding range. The decline of burrowing owl populations is often attributed to conversion of native grasslands to agriculture and urban development, and to declines in abundance of burrowing mammals that the owls rely on for creation of nest burrows. One place where urban development and burrowing owl habitat intersect is Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore. We plan to thoroughly monitor burrowing owls on NAS Lemoore with the objectives of: 1) documenting burrowing owl return rates, 2) quantifying reproductive success, 3) examining the effects of human disturbance on return rate and reproductive success, 4) providing managers with data and information that will ensure minimal conflicts between owls and base operations, and 5) when development in burrowing owl habitat is critical to the Department of Defense mission, examining the efficacy of mitigation strategies. The results of this research will provide insight into the status of the NAS Lemoore burrowing owl population and how to mitigate the effects of development when development is unavoidable.