burrowing owl

noun

: a small diurnal chiefly ground-dwelling American owl (Athene cunicularia) of grassland and desert regions that roosts and nests in burrows

Examples of burrowing owl in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Audubon Society’s Instagram page often features burrowing owls where they are liked by thousands of viewers. Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 The aviaries are placed near enough to one another on the preserve that the burrowing owls can hear each other vocalize. Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2024 The burrowing owl lives its life the opposite of most owls. Megan Marples, CNN, 9 Feb. 2024 The burrowing owl marches to the beat of its own drum. Megan Marples, CNN, 9 Feb. 2024 The organization hopes to reintroduce more species, such as the burrowing owl, to the island. Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Nov. 2023 For some at-risk species that have lost most of their native Florida habitat to development, like the burrowing owl and the Florida grasshopper sparrow, ranches represent some of the last scraps of habitat for them. Stephanie Castellano, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Aug. 2023 In other bird news, Vox’s Benji Jones has a fascinating story on burrowing owls in California’s Imperial Valley. Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2023 Songbirds, limpkins and woodpeckers are also noisily making sure they are heard, while burrowing owls are popping up in open pastures. Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 10 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'burrowing owl.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of burrowing owl was in 1823

Dictionary Entries Near burrowing owl

Cite this Entry

“Burrowing owl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burrowing%20owl. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

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