Owls (Strigidae)
Baby burrowing owls: from egg to fledgling
A Burrowing Owl lays 4–12 eggs. They hatch after 28 days, and the young leave the nest 44 days later — about 72 days from egg to fledgling.
- Eggs per clutch
- 4–12 eggs
- Incubation
- 28 days
- Time in the nest
- 44 days
- Egg to fledgling
- About 72 days
- Broods per year
- 1 per season
- Nest
- Underground burrow, often dug by mammals
- Uses nest boxes
- No
Stage by stage
- Eggs (28 days): 4–12 eggs per clutch. Most songbirds start incubating when the last or second-to-last egg is laid, so the young hatch close together; owls and hawks start with the first egg, so their chicks hatch days apart.
- Nestlings (44 days): the young hatch with little or no down and their eyes closed. They grow fast on a diet the parents bring in. In the breeding season burrowing owls mainly eat grasshoppers, beetles, scorpions and voles.
- Fledglings: after leaving the nest, young burrowing owls are fully feathered but short-tailed and clumsy. They spend days to weeks on low branches or the ground while the parents keep feeding them.
- More broods: 1 per season.
When burrowing owls nest, state by state
Nesting starts earliest in Arizona (Feb) and latest in Alberta (Apr). Months are estimates from regional breeding data shifted for latitude.
| State / province | Nesting season |
|---|---|
| Alberta | Apr–Jul |
| Arizona | Feb–Jul |
| California | Feb–Jul |
| Colorado | Mar–Jul |
| Florida | Feb–Jul |
| Idaho | Mar–Jul |
| Kansas | Mar–Jul |
| Manitoba | Apr–Jul |
| Montana | Apr–Jul |
| Nebraska | Mar–Jul |
| Nevada | Mar–Jul |
| New Mexico | Mar–Jul |
| North Dakota | Apr–Jul |
| Oklahoma | Mar–Jul |
| Saskatchewan | Apr–Jul |
| South Dakota | Mar–Jul |
| Texas | Feb–Jul |
| Utah | Mar–Jul |
| Wyoming | Apr–Jul |
Found a baby Burrowing Owl?
- Feathered, hopping, can grip your finger: a fledgling. This is a normal stage. Keep pets and children away and watch from a distance; the parents are usually close by.
- Bare skin or only pin feathers: a nestling that fell. If you can see the nest, put it back. Touching it won't make the parents abandon it — that is a myth.
- Injured, cold, covered in flies, or caught by a cat: contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. In the US and Canada, ahnow.org finds the nearest one.
- Don't give water or food. Baby birds can choke, and the wrong food can kill them.
More about burrowing owls
Frequently asked
How long do baby burrowing owls stay in the nest?
About 44 days after hatching. Eggs take 28 days to hatch, so it is roughly 72 days from the last egg to the young leaving.
How many eggs does a Burrowing Owl lay?
4–12 eggs per clutch, with 1 per season.
Where do burrowing owls nest?
Underground burrow, often dug by mammals.
What should I do if I find a baby Burrowing Owl on the ground?
If it has feathers and hops, it is a fledgling and its parents are almost certainly nearby — leave it. If it is naked or has pin feathers, put it back in the nest if you can. Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator if it is injured.