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California Burrowing Owl Consortium

Conservation in California

Southern California Coast Nesting Area

Commensal with the California ground squirrel, burrowing owls have been almost entirely extirpated from private lands by urban sprawl, and are now found only on undeveloped Federal lands.  An estimated 260 nesting pairs (3% of California’s population) persist; this represents a decline of about 57-85% since the mid 1980s.

Conservation challenges include preserving remaining habitats and managing the few remaining pairs, some of which prey on endangered least terns (Sterna antillarum).