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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Only 21 burrowing owl pairs nested successfully in the South Bay Area in 2023, according to the bird alliance. Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2024 Today’s great photo is from staff photographer Carolyn Cole of a Western burrowing owl, which moved one step closer to being designated as an endangered species in California. Defne Karabatur, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024 Related Articles Rare burrowing owl named as candidate for state endangered species list Up to 100 raccoons descend on woman’s home in Washington state In 2023, a green comet that last visited Earth 50,000 years ago zoomed by the planet again. Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 16 Oct. 2024 Two decades ago, there were as many as 10,500 breeding pairs of burrowing owls in the Golden State, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for burrowing owl 

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 15 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on burrowing owl

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!