Story at a glance
- Scientists in California have been working to save a dwindling population of burrowing owls.
- In an experiment by the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, scientists played recordings of owl calls and deposited fake owl poop to persuade the owls to stick around.
- The burrowing owl is federally protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in the U.S. and Mexico.
The population of burrowing owls in California is at risk of going extinct locally, so researchers have been finding innovative tactics to lure them back to the area.
Scientists at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began a pilot program that moved owls to protected grasslands, and they’re trying a variety of tactics to get the owls to accept their new homes.
Those tactics include playing recordings of owl calls before and after the birds arrived at four locations in Southern California, according to The Associated Press. One scientist even used a syringe to squirt fake owl poop around the area, which was actually white paint, to create the impression that owls already lived there.
“They like to be in a neighborhood, to live near other owls,” said Colleen Wisinski, a conservation biologist at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
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In their experiment in San Diego, scientists transplanted 47 burrowing owls from 2017 to 2018 and 20 of them were outfitted with GPS devices to track their movements. Most of them successfully settled into their new homes and established breeding colonies.
Rancho Jamul Ecological Reserve in southwestern San Diego County had about 50 owl chicks in 2020, according to the AP.
The burrowing owl is federally protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in the U.S. and Mexico. The species is listed as an endangered, threatened or as a species of concern in nine states, including California. They typically are found in dry, open areas like grasslands, farmlands, golf courses and vacant lots.
However, as development across the country and in California has taken off in recent years, it’s destroyed burrowing owls’ habitats, as they nest underground with other fellow owls.
“If after eviction there’s nowhere for these guys to go, it’s basically a death sentence,” said Lynne Trulio, an ecologist at San Jose State University, to the AP.
According to the University of California at Davis Veterinary Medicine, there’s been a 76 percent decline in burrowing owl numbers in California since 2006.
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