Endangered burrowing owls get helping hand at southern Alberta military base

Canada's declining population of burrowing owls is getting a boost thanks to a collaboration between the Calgary Zoo and the Canadian Armed Forces and Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Eight adult burrowing owls, which is an endangered species,were collected from their habitat on the CFB Suffield National Wildlife Area in southeastern Albertalast year. Theywerereleased back to the same location this spring.

The practice is called head-starting owlets are captured in the wild, raised in captivity, and then later released back into their original habitat.

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"The owls are released as one-year-old pairs to breed in their new nests," said a release from National Defence.

"This is the first time an endangered species has been released onto the base after spending time being cared for in captivity."

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) estimates there are only about 400 female-male pairs of burrowing owls left in the country.

"Releasing the captive-reared young back into the wild is definitely helping to boost population numbers," said ECCC biologist Dr. Troy Wellicome.

Burrowing owls, the only birds of prey in Canada that nest underground, are about the size of pigeons and migrate as far away as Mexico.

The Suffield National Wildlife Area, about 260 kilometres southeast of Calgary, was chosen for the project because it has a natural habitat for burrowing owls.

It is the only military base in Canada that features a conservation area within its boundaries. It isn't used for training exercises and it's not open to the public.

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