By CHAT News Today

Burrowing owls released into wild at CFB Suffield

Jun 21, 2018 | 5:32 PM

SUFFIELD, AB — A partnership between CFB Suffield, the Calgary Zoo and Environment and Climate Change Canada is giving burrowing owls a head start to improve their populations.

This spring, eight adult burrowing owls were released into the CFB Suffield National Wildlife Area following a head-starting project by the three partners. Head-starting sees the birds captured in the wild as owlets, raised in captivity, and released back to their original habitat.

The owls are released in one-year-old pairs to breed in their new nests. It’s the first time an endangered species has been released onto the grounds of the base after spending time cared for in captivity.

The goal of the project is to determine if the head-starting process will improve the survival rates of the young owls, and potentially help boost the population of the bird.

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Environment and Climate Change Canada estimates there may be as few as 400 males/female pairs of burrowing owls in the wild.