Friday Feature: Burrowing Owls Love Florida Ranchlands

by | Oct 11, 2024 | Beef Cattle, Best Management Practices (BMPs), Feature Video, Livestock, Natural Resources, Owl, Wildlife

This week’s featured video was published by the Archbold Biological Station, located on the 10,500 acre Buck Island Ranch, in Highlands County.  Burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia floridana) are one of Florida’s smallest owl species and they live in treeless, open prairies and marshes of Florida year-round.  Borrowing owls are also one of the designated threatened species in Florida.  There once were large areas of Florida that were were open dry prairies, but development or fire suppression of conservation lands have diminished their habitat.  The open landscape on Florida ranches with cattle grazing to maintain short forages provides breeding habitat with isolated wetlands that provide feeding grounds that are ideal for burrowing owls.  Watch the video to hear what scientists have learned about this non-migratory wildlife species after studying them on Buck Island Ranch.

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If you enjoyed this video, you might want to check the other 300+ YouTube videos highlighted in the  Friday Feature Archive

If you come across an interesting, inspiring, humorous or innovative video related to agriculture, please send in a link, so we can share it with our readers.  Use the share button from the YouTube or Facebook video you like and send the link via email to:  Doug Mayo

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