Burrowing birds create pockets of rich plant life in a desert landscape

Mounds of sand dug out by nest-digging birds are microhabitats where seeds can germinate

burrowing owl

Dirt mounds created by birds like burrowing owls (one shown) in Peru’s Atacama Desert are a microhabitat for seed germination, a study finds.

M.C. Rengifo-Faiffer

In the rain-starved deserts of coastal Peru, tiny patches surprisingly rich in plant life dot the landscape.