When threatened, they emit a noise that sounds just like a rattlesnake. After they become mobile, the young begin to emerge from the burrow to stretch their legs in front of the opening, retreating at the first sign of danger. In only four weeks, the young are ready to leave the nest. The parents don't hang around the empty nest for long. The burrowing owls' nesting burrow can become very messy.
Owls swallow their food whole and then regurgitate indigestible parts in the form of pellets.
This waste combined with the use of cow dung by the owls leads to infestation by flies, fleas, and other insects. Thus the parent owls vacate the nesting burrow soon after the owlets leave. The owls live in colonies when they can. In the past they lived along side ground squirrel and prairie dog colonies, utilizing their old tunnels. However, with the decline in those animals, the owls now often live alone.