Wildlife Center Releases Rare Barn Owls

In the first effort to reintroduce barn owls into Illinois since the 1980s, conservationists at the Spring Brook Nature Center in Itasca began a pilot study last August that released ten young barn owls into the wild in hopes they would not only survive, but reproduce and replenish the dwindling population. The barn owl, named for its roost of choice, has lost most of its suitable habitat with the conversion of pastures to row crops over the past few decades. With no place to call home, these heart-faced owls have become a state-endangered species.

"To a certain degree it was a success, but not as big as we'd have liked," commented Dan Spencer, principal researcher. After raising the young of captive owls in large barns and teaching them to hunt live prey lured in by bait stations, the team also taught the young chicks to fear one of their most dangerous predators — the larger and very territorial great horned owl. Researchers brought in a captive great horned owl to startle the chicks by flapping its imposing wings.

Once the team felt the birds could survive independently, they attached radio transmitters to the owls' tail feathers and released the birds in nearby forest preserves. One of the owls slipped the transmitter before being released, and of the remaining nine, researchers lost track of five fairly quickly. Two owls at each site appeared to stay put, but they too disappeared within the week. With the short range of the transmitters, a lack of funding, and a shortage of manpower, tracking the birds became impossible. The team is currently discussing further reintroduction efforts with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

With ongoing habitat restoration projects underway throughout the region, much agricultural land is being converted back to native grasslands and prairies, which means barn owls may have a chance after all. If the birds are not able to discover this new habitat on their own, then reintroduction efforts such as Spring Brook's may help them find their way.

— Jennifer Tang

See also:

The Lost Owls of Prairie Creek