occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: (250-20,000 square km (about 100-8000 square miles)) Resident in Florida and the Bahamas (Grand Bahama to Great Inagua (AOU 1957)). In Florida residence is mostly in the southcentral, with disjunct populations in the northeast, southeast, and the Florida Keys. May wander to Alabama and Cuba.

Differs from other subspecies in having upperparts darker and much less buffy brown, with the spotting dull white instead of more or less buffy; ground color of underparts much less buffy (dull white, buffy only on thighs and underwing coverts); wing and tail averaging much shorter than in subspecies Hypogaea of western and central North America (Ridgway 1914).

Comments: High, sparsely vegetated sandy ground; e.g., dry prairies, sandhills, pastures, airport runways, golf courses, ruderal areas. Nests usually in burrows. See Cavanagh (1990) for an account of unsuccessful above-ground nesting on a lawn at an airport.

Non-Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species do not make significant seasonal migrations. Juvenile dispersal is not considered a migration.

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Comments: Dung beetles may be a major food resource during the nesting season (Levey et al. 2004).

Note: For many non-migratory species, occurrences are roughly equivalent to populations.

Estimated Number of Occurrences: 21 to >300

Comments: Natural EOs significantly reduced by habitat destruction; largely replaced by ruderal EOs that are likely to be temporary.

Double-brooding has been documented (Millsap and Bear 1990).

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N3 - Vulnerable

Rounded Global Status Rank: T3 - Vulnerable

Reasons: Occurs in a habitat that has mostly been converted for agriculture and development; subsequently, natural EOs have been reduced. Urban/ruderal occurrences are not safe from increasing development pressures.

Degree of Threat: B : Moderately threatened throughout its range, communities provide natural resources that when exploited alter the composition and structure of the community over the long-term, but are apparently recoverable

Comments: Habitat destruction (agriculture and development) is the major threat. Also threatened by disturbance and predation by cats and dogs. Cattle and machinery can collapse burrows. Main causes of nest failure at a study site in Lee County, Florida, were home construction, harassment by humans (generally children), and flooding (Millsap and Bear 2000).

Nesting owls attract dung beetles (a major food) by placing dung around nest burrows (Levey et al. 2004). Dung beetles may be adversely affected by worming agents and possibly other toxins used on cattle.

Preserve Selection and Design Considerations: At a partially developed site in Lee County, Florida, mean occupied nest site density was highest when 45-60% of lots were developed (Millsap and Bear 2000). Use of a 10+ meter buffer around nest sites during home construction resulted in a significantly higher mean nest productivity (mean 1.9 young per nest) that at sites with no buffer (mean 0.1 young per nest; Millsap and Bear 2000).

Management Requirements: Management actions suggested by Millsap and Bear (2000) include: (1) implementation of educational programs to reduce human harassment of owls in urban settings; (2) use buffer zones of at least 10 meters around nest sites in areas where construction occurs during breeding season; and (3) maintain burrows at home sites with sodded yards (though these sites may need to be supplemented with higher quality habitat).

Biological Research Needs: Use of tortoise burrows (active to old); use of owl burrows by other species.

Global Protection: Unknown whether any occurrences are appropriately protected and managed

Needs: Natural areas with element occurrences should be preserved with buffers. Development plans in urban areas should take element occurrences into account.

Comments: Placed in genus Athene by AOU (1997). Other subspecies occur in western North America, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. See also taxonomic comments for A. cunicularia.