Many Native American tribes thought the burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) was a link with the spirit world. The Hopi called it ko'ko, meaning 'watcher of the dark' and thought it was a favourite of Masauu, god of the dead and guardian of fire and all growing things. The Gosuite tribe of Nevada and Utah thought it protected warriors and wore its feathers and shook rattles made of its skin to frighten the enemy.
This daytime-hunting owl nests and roosts, often in colonies, in the disused burrows of prairie dogs and ground squirrels but is becoming more scarce as its habitat is destroyed. Insecticides have also contributed to its decline. It catches a variety of prey including small insects, scorpions, reptiles, small mammals and birds and, unusually for a raptor, it will eat fruit and seeds.
