Mastering Search Analytics

Colophon

The animal on the cover of Mastering Search Analytics is a burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia), which nests and roosts on the ground. Though capable of digging their own burrows, these birds usually use holes already created by prairie dogs or other animals. They range widely throughout North and South America, in open habitats with low vegetation like grasslands, desert, agricultural fields, and even golf courses.

Burrowing owls have round heads with no ear tufts, white eyebrow markings, and yellow eyes. They also have long legs (longer in proportion to their bodies than other owls) and brown plumage with white spotting. On average, these birds are about 10 inches long and weigh 6 ounces. Though both sexes of this species are roughly the same size, males often appear lighter because they spend more time outside the burrow during the day and their feathers become bleached by the sun.

This species is unique among owls in that it hunts during the day as well as at night, especially if there are nestlings to feed. The burrowing owl’s diet mostly consists of insects and small mammals, though they also eat fruit and seeds. In addition to living in the ground, these owls also hunt close to earth—to catch prey, they run across the ground or swoop down from a perch (such as a fencepost or mound of dirt). Another hunting technique used by this owl is to collect mammal dung to line the walls of its burrow—this attracts dung beetles, which the bird can then easily catch and eat.

The cover ...