New overwintering location of Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularia hypugaea (Molina, 1782) (Strigidae) in Tennessee, USA, with diet assessed through pellets

Abstract

Reporting new occurrence records of organisms is key to overcome the Wallacean shortfall. Here, we report the first sighting of a Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularia (Molina, 1782), overwintering on a peninsula in the Tennessee River in Tennessee, USA, during boreal winters 2020–2022. Pellets from this bird showed combination of six species. This is the first record for the species in the Interior Plateau of the USA. Conditions supporting this bird and evidence of it overwintering bear to explore the environmental conditions that support this species in novel areas.