Schenk, Faith
Department of Biology
Grand Canyon University
Phoenix, Arizona USA
Pikstein, Rachel N.
Department of Biology
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda, California USA
Pikstein Laboratory NPO
Newlin, Ezekiel
Evan Allert, Evan
Department of Biology
Grand Canyon University
Phoenix, Arizona USA
The massive expansion rate of urbanization within the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, and other arid habitats of the American southwest, has led to the quick decline of many species as their habitats become forever lost beneath concrete. However, fossorial species who utilize or live within burrows systems, have taken an even greater hit. Thanks mainly due to many years of government encouraged prairie dog culling programs; effectively destructive, without scientific justification. The decline in species that make the burrows has a ripple effect, especially for species that are unable to make their own burrows. The Western Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) is one such species. Indigenous to the western coast of North, Central, and South America, conservation authorities in the United States list the species from vulnerable to threatened, despite a nationwide historical population reduction of 97%. Many populations in Mexico are maintained at historic numbers, while other areas of Central and South America see similar issues of land development and cattle grazing conflict with fossorial rodents. Arizona Game and Fish Department and Wild at Heart raptor rescue, have implemented trans-relocation techniques that involve establishing wild caught owls into human designed and constructed artificial burrow systems. Despite the incredible success of this methodology in a variety of US states for over twenty years, they have met some criticism due to their varied projections of longevity and suspicions that they could not function in the same capacities as a wild burrow, such as one created by animal activity or outwash would. Twenty plus years of success through the efforts at WAH alone has significantly addressed the first concern. The second has also been observed to been overcome, rabbits, two species of ground squirrels, dung beetles, tarantulas, and gopher tortoises have all been visually documented by WAH and the scientists in this study, however, questions remained whether more-vulnerable less-abundant species would be able to thrive in an artificial burrow system. This first-time documentation directly addresses this concern, finding the in-situ co-habituation of an overwintering adult Regal Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma solare) within the burrow entrance of an actively used artificial owl burrow. Horned lizard and burrowing owl cohabitation in the wild has been documented with longevity in the literature, although few images exist of this relationship. Our new evidence gives hope for the understudied effectiveness of artificial burrow systems, and their potential for further applications in ecological restoration efforts.