Oct 12, 2015 9:00 AM

Gallery: These Adorable Owls Will Not Kill You With Plague

Boise State University
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Owlet being measured before banding.
Materialscientist
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Burrowing-Owl FEATURE ART

Boise State University
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This adorable baby burrowing owl is being banded -- and checked for fleas.
Boise State University
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Getting owls out of their burrows is not for the faint of heart. Dr. Jim Belthoff reaches into a burrowing owl burrow.

Boise State University
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Dr. Jim Belthoff, lead researcher on the flea study, with an indignant research subject.
Boise State University
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Owlets are kept in a bucket for banding and measuring. You can tell they are not adults because their eyes are not yet yellow. Also, very fluffy!

Boise State University
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Coffee. Owls. Pickup trucks. The essential ingredients of research.
Boise State University
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An owlet is measured in preparation for banding. The bands help researchers track owl migration and reproduction.

Boise State University
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Plague! These disconcerting signs can be found around prairie dog towns in the North Central Mountain region.
Boise State University
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Burrowing owls readily accept artificial nests. This hopefully will help with species recovery, and also makes them easier to study.

Boise State University
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This adult owl is being checked for parasites and measured for wingspan before banding.

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