burrowing owl

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A small, long-legged owl (Speotyto cunicularia) of American prairies that nests in burrows dug by animals such as prairie dogs or rabbits.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. v. (Zoöl.) a small owl of the western part of North America (Speotyto cunicularia), which lives in holes, often in company with the prairie dog.