Almost extinct owl is making a comeback in Switzerland

Almost extinct little owl spreads again throughout Switzerland Keystone-SDA

There are more little owls living in Switzerland than there have been for 40 years. The owl species, which almost became extinct throughout Switzerland 25 years ago, now occupies 161 territories in Switzerland, the bird conservation organisation BirdLife announced on Tuesday.

At the beginning of the 2000s, there were only around 50 territories left. Despite the encouraging development, the long-term survival of the little owl is not yet assured, emphasised the bird conservation organisation. BirdLife wants to increase the number of territories to 300 by 2031.

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The little owl, one of the smallest native owl species, was once widespread in Switzerland. According to BirdLife, there were probably over 1,000 territories until the middle of the 20th century. With the intensification of agriculture and the loss of orchards and small structures, populations collapsed.

40 years of protecting little owls

As early as the 1980s, the first projects were launched by nature conservation organisations and farmers to protect little owls. According to BirdLife, important measures included the planting of fruit trees, the creation of biodiversity promotion areas, the construction of nesting aids and perches and the creation of small structures such as heaps of branches and stones.

While populations in Germany and France have been recovering for years, Switzerland lagged behind for a long time, according to Birdlife. In recent years, however, efforts have also begun to pay off. This led to the recolonisation of north-western Switzerland in 2023.

Adapted from French by DeepL/ac

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