The breeding habitat consists of open, well-drained grasslands, savanna, deserts, agricultural lands and prairie-like terrain with low herbaceous vegetation.   The terrain is often flat, but may be rugged.  Croplands, brushland and forests are less suitable for this ground-dweller because of the difficulty detecting approaching predators or finding prey in such areas.  Nests can sometimes be found in cow pastures near farm buildings, at golf courses, on airports, or on road right-of-ways. This tolerance toward humans and  its habit of loafing around the nest burrow or on fence posts in daylight, make this one of the most observable owls.

Adults return to the same or nearby burrow year and the availability of suitable burrows appears to be a major factor controlling the population.  Badger burrows are preferred because of their location in bare, open areas without visual obstructions but abandoned burrows of Yellow-bellied Marmots, Belted Kingfisher, Striped Skunks, and an occasional fox are also used.  The owl is most abundant in active colonies of ground squirrels or prairie dogs, where numerous nesting sites are available and they can form loose colonies.  Such groupings may be a response to the local abundance of burrows and food, or an adaptation for mutual defense against predators.

Both sexes prepare the burrow for nesting, using feet, beaks and wings to remove dirt.  They often begin these renovations at several burrows, eventually selecting the best one as a nest site.  Nest burrows are usually 3 to 10 feet long, slope downward with a U-shaped bend, and an enlarged nest chamber at the end.  This is then lined with horse or cow dung and other materials. This unusual lining material attracts beetles, camouflages the odor of the owl from predators and produces heat to aid in the incubation of the eggs.  One or more "satellite" burrows can usually be found near the nest, and are used by adult males during the nesting period and by juveniles for a few weeks after they emerge from the nest.

Burrowing Owls are most active at night but often hunt during daylight, mainly in the early morning and late afternoon, especially when they have young to feed.  During the nesting season, adult males forage over an area of 2 to 3 square kilometers and the ranges of neighboring males may overlap, but only a small area near the nest burrow is aggressively defended against intrusions by other Burrowing Owls and predators.   Burrowing Owls consume about 15 percent of their body weight each day dining on small birds, mice, voles, reptile, amphibian, scorpions, and insects such as grasshoppers, ground beetles, and crickets.  The owls are quite versatile capturing their prey.  They chase down grasshoppers and beetles on the ground, use their talons to catch large insects in the air, or hover in mid-air before swooping down on unsuspecting prey.  They also watch patiently from perches, then glide silently toward their target.  Like other owls, they rely upon acute hearing as much as eyesight for capturing prey at night.  There fondness for rodents and insects in agricultural areas make them one of the most economically beneficial birds in North America.

The two-syllable "who-who" call is given by the male at the entrance of a promising burrow to attract a female.  Once a female is enticed to the site, courtship antics involving various postures, stretching of wings and legs, vocalizations, and other displays are undertaken by both sexes.

A clutch consists of 6 to 10 white eggs which are usually laid in May or early June at the end of the nest chamber.  They are covered with dried horse or cattle droppings and incubated by the female for about 4 weeks, while the male brings food to the female and stands guard near the burrow entrance by day.  After hatching young stay in the nest for about two weeks.  As they become larger the burrow becomes very crowded, and they can often be seen standing outside the burrow eagerly waiting for the parents to bring food.  Young owls begin flying at about four weeks and can fly quite well when six weeks old but can run down insects on the ground even before they can fly.  They begin to hunt for themselves in earnest at about seven or eight weeks.

Capable of producing several different vocalizations juveniles will imitate a rattlesnake rattle when threatened in the burrow, and adults give a short, low-level "chuck" call to warn of approaching predators.  This is usually accompanied by bobbing of the head up and down which is associated with defense of the breeding territory.

The breeding grounds range across southern Canada into the United States west of the Mississippi Valley. There range extends south into Florida, Mexico, Central and South America.  They appear across their breeding range in April and begin their southward migration from mid-July to the beginning of October.  Adult females migrate earlier than young,  adults usually leaving in late July to early August whereas juveniles usually leave August to September.  Wintering locations are south of the United States-Mexico border to Guatemala and El Salvador.

Numbers have declined in recent decades especially in Canada as the habitat has diminished. The quantity and quality of their habitat has been eroded by expanding towns, intensive agriculture, and industrial developments.  Heavy grazing can cause burrow damage and degradation of nearby foraging areas by eliminating tall grasses.  Control of problem wildlife or other factors affecting burrowing mammals, such as badgers and ground squirrels, has resulted in a loss of nesting sites.

Although, their coloring provides good camouflage in the dry grassland habitats.   Predators such as badgers, foxes, striped skunks, weasels, raccoons, and snakes can access the burrow and attack the female and their eggs.  Egg predation can be more damaging than the predation of the adults.  Outside of the burrow the adult males and fledglings are most often killed by the coyote, domestic dog, cat, Swainson's Hawk, Great Horned Owl, Ferruginous Hawk, Northern Harrier, Short-eared Owl, and Prairie Falcon.

The owls face a host of other dangers.  Some owls, particularly naive juveniles feeding on road-kills or on insects attracted by warm pavement at night, are killed by highway traffic.  Others get caught in fences, hit overhead wires, or are shot by humans.  Pesticides also have contributed to there decline either directly or by ingestion of prey, causing adult mortality and low reproductive success.

In Canada, the attempted reintroduction of this species has met with mixed early results.   The program now emphasizes captive breeding with the goal of establishing a self-sustaining population and the outlook for British Columbia is reasonably good.

Length 9 1/2 inches