Recent decades have been marked by the unrelenting loss and deterioration of wild places and the wildlife which once lived in them. Sadly this situation is not improving. Due to the demands of the human population, pressures on land are both high and increasing. The British countryside is now much poorer in wildlife than it was just a few years ago.

All five British owl species have declined dramatically since the 1970’s.

The last survey of breeding bird populations in Britain and Ireland took place between 1988 – 1991* and revealed that Barn Owls alone have lost 43% of their breeding birds in the last 35 years. However no owl species remains unaffected as these figures show:

Barn Owl		DOWN 43%
Long-eared Owl		DOWN 27.9%
Short-eared Owl		DOWN 14%
Little Owl		DOWN 11%
Tawny Owl		DOWN 10.9%

*‘The New Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain & Ireland’. Poyser 1993.

REASONS FOR THE DECLINE

AGRICULTURE Since the survey was completed, agricultural intensification has further reduced wildlife habitat on farmland and this picture is destined to become even worse. Amongst the worst sufferers are small mammals, and as their numbers have fallen, so have those of the owls which depend on them.

All five species of owl rely on small mammals for food. Two of them, the Barn Owl and Short-eared Owl are so dependent on Short-tailed Voles that if this animal disappears, so do they. The Little Owl needs large insects and earthworms to supplement its diet. Without them, this owl is also unlikely to survive in an area for very long. Like the owls, these prey species need the right habitat to survive.

LOSS OF NEST SITES Barn Owls, Tawny Owls and Little Owls nest in holes and crevices in old trees and old buildings. For Health & Safety reasons, plus conversion to modern housing, such sites are disappearing. No nest sites means no breeding owls. No breeding owls means no new owlets to replace those that die each year.

CLIMATE CHANGE No-one needs reminding that Britain’s climate is changing dramatically. Severe gales, flooding, droughts and rapid temperature changes are now considered normal. This is particularly serious for Barn Owls. Their plumage is very soft and not very waterproof, so in prolonged wet, windy weather, literally thousands die, especially young inexperienced birds in their first year. This type of weather also causes the vole population to shrink dramatically, and since the Barn Owl has very low body-fat reserves they can starve to death after just a few days without food. Such weather also kills off the insect food of Little Owls.

LOSS OF HABITAT Nature Reserves are no longer enough to save Britain’s disappearing wildlife habitats. Decades of intense agriculture and development have left them as fragmented isolated ‘islands’ surrounded by an inhospitable landscape in which wildlife can no longer flourish. Even the few wild areas that are left are increasingly being lost to development.

Only by connecting protected areas together to enable animals, insects and plants to move freely between them can we hope to reverse the ever-increasing list of vanishing species – including owls.

WHY OWLS? In the old days, miners used to take canaries down the mines with them to warn them of the presence of odourless poisonous gasses underground. When a canary suddenly keeled over, the miners knew they had to leave in a hurry. It was the similar deaths of countless wild birds in the 1960’s that led Rachel Carson to write her classic book ‘Silent Spring’. Now, wild birds are dying out all over the world. They are our canaries! They are telling us that something is once more going seriously wrong. We need to take notice if we are to avoid the fate of the miner’s canaries and wish to preserve our quality of life.

As top predators, owls are perfect indicators of significant changes in a food chain which consists of a wide variety of plants and animals. If owls begin to decline, then clearly something is happening in their ecosystem which could have serious consequences for humans too.

POPULATIONS OF ALL FIVE BRITISH OWLS ARE IN DECLINE!

This is why the WORLD OWL TRUST is using these charismatic birds as the flagships for this ambitious project.

WORLD OWL TRUST
The Owl Centre
Muncaster Castle
Ravenglass
Cumbria. CA18 1RQ
United Kingdom

Telephone: (+44) (0)1229 717393
FAX: (+44) (0)1229 717107
E-mail: here

Registered Charity Number: 1055489 Limited Company Number: 5296745

The World Owl Trust is a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) and the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA). The Trust relies on a dedicated membership, visitors, donations and legacies.