Shout-out on Earth Day: How to Protect Owls in Your Backyard

The plight of Atlanta’s Eurasian eagle owl, which escaped from New York’s Central Park Zoo last year, illustrates how difficult it is to survive in a world transformed by humans.

The gorgeous creature, with a six-foot wingspan, piercing orange eyes and tufted ears, captivated the world as it flew freely over Manhattan. Every time Flacco’s fans see him soar, land and catch prey, they post updates on social media, sparking an intense love affair.

But then it all ended. After a year on the run, Flacco died after flying into a Manhattan high-rise. Crying emojis dominate social media. These reactions may seem a bit over the top, but attention naturally has this effect on a person. In a way, we get to know Flacco. An autopsy revealed he had also ingested potentially fatal rat poison.

Fascination with Birds: Why We Are Attracted to Owls

The focus on Flacco’s life and death is not an anomaly. During the pandemic, people who had never been interested in wildlife in their own backyards began to take notice.

As the number of Americans engaging in birdwatching increases, the popularity of owls in the United States has soared. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service survey found that as many as 96 million people now observe or photograph birds in parks or in their backyards. That’s twice as much birding activity as eight years ago.

But there’s something special about owls that people seem to appreciate.

“Maybe it’s because they look like us,” said Denver Holt of the Owl Research Institute.

“Their heads are big; their eyes, noses and mouths are symmetrical,” Holt mused. “We tend to be attracted to animals with big, round eyes.”

Owls are one of the most widely recognized groups of animals in the world, Holt said. “This has been the case since prehistoric times. In caves in France, there are etchings of owls on the cave walls.”

And, he said, they make cool sounds — barks, beeps and trills. He said they help humans eliminate pests, eating an average of six rats a night. And they are beautiful.

“These birds often have bright yellow eyes, and their ability to hunt in the dark is fascinating — their night vision is amazing,” said David Weidenfeld, senior conservation scientist at the American Bird Conservancy.

“If you look at their feather patterns, they’re very complex,” Weidenfeld said. “Owls have special feathers that are softer than many birds. They make almost no sound when flying,” so they can surprise their prey.

Owls are losing habitat, but not all is lost

Sadly, many owl species are in decline, and some are highly threatened, Weidenfeld said.

Of the 19 species of owls found in the United States, more than half are declining, a trend similar to that of all bird species. According to the American Bird Conservancy, the biggest causes are habitat loss from climate change and human land use, collisions (especially during migration) and pesticides that kill the insects and rodents the owls depend on.

“We have to start making sure that owl habitat is preserved,” Weidenfeld said.

According to the American Bird Conservancy, the decline of old-growth forests in the United States and Canada due to the high value of wood is the main reason for the dramatic decline in spotted owl populations.

Open grasslands are shrinking, while tiny burrowing owls nest in underground burrows.

Burrowing owl populations have plummeted in Florida, where they were once abundant.

“Florida is very much turning into apartments,” Weidenfeld told CNN.

The lack of open grasslands has also affected the short-eared owl, whose population has declined an estimated 65 percent since 1970, according to the Audubon Society. “Most of the grassland is used for agriculture corn, soybeans, wheat,” Weidenfeld said. American Bird Conservancy is working with farmers to set aside some undisturbed land for nature.

snowy owl

Holt, the owl researcher, said people who haven’t birdwatched in years are flocking to the snowy owls. But their future also looks bleak.

According to the 2022 State of the Birds report, the number of snowy owls has been reduced by half over the past 50 years. Holt has been tracking them in Montana and their breeding colonies in Canada for more than three decades.

Last year, he and his fellow field researchers found zero nests. “It’s disappointing. Every year you hope with high hopes that the lemming population (their food source) will be high and the snowy owl population will rebound. You get there and you can’t find the nest.”

Owl experts say they don’t know exactly what’s driving the snowy owl’s decline, but the American Bird Conservancy says climate change could affect their prey, as well as collisions with vehicles, communications towers, wind turbines and aircraft.

Seven things you can do to help save owls

1. Preserve large, old trees

Weidenfeld said that for most owls, getting out of the trees is the most important thing people can do.

Most owls sleep and roost in tree cavities commonly found in old trees. Many owls, like the Screech Owl, will use large woodpecker holes or hollows from broken branches. Great horned owls do not use holes but build nests in trees.

“A lot of people in the suburbs don’t like to leave old trees alone. They’re worried they’re going to fall over,” Weidenfeld said. “But if you have a place where you don’t have to worry about security or buildings, get them out of the way so they can have tree holes.”

“There are many reasons people use to solve obstacles,” Holt said. “The last thing they think about is how important they are to wildlife.”

2. Leave some of your yard natural or “cluttered”

Many homeowners strive to keep their lawns spotless, free of weeds, leaves, brush, and clutter. But if you want owls, or any bird, in your backyard, that’s not what attracts them.

“Allow some chaos. Allow some stumps. Allow some weeds to grow in the corners of fields,” Weidenfeld said. “Try not to mow everything like a lawn.”

If you can, put a small pile of brush in a corner away from your home, he says.

“This will benefit the birds and provide prey habitat for the owls.”

3.place a nest box

If you’re looking for a fun project to do with the kids, “making a nest box at home can be a really nice thing to do,” says Holt. Owls often use these boxes for shelter and brooding, especially if your property lacks tree cavities. Then you might see little owls talking about cuteness.

The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology has a great guide on building nest boxes for many species of owls or birds.

4. Avoid using pesticides and rodenticides

If you want to get rid of mice, owls are the perfect pest control tool. The poisons can be fatal to rodents, but they also kill owls and hawks that prey on them.

Pest companies across the country continue to use “second-generation rodenticides.” They are anticoagulants and cause pests to bleed to death.

“The rats will eat the rodenticide, and then they won’t die immediately,” Weidenfeld said.

“They’re hanging out in the open, sick from poison they’ve ingested, and they’re easy targets for owls.”

Owls absorb a large amount of poison by eating at least four rodents a night, and many more rodents are eaten during the breeding season.

If the poison doesn’t kill them, eventually they will be injured because they will bleed to death. “Any minor injury (to the owl) could result in internal bleeding. It’s a very gruesome death,” Weidenfeld said.

The EPA has banned their use in products sold to individual homeowners, but they are still allowed in the commercial market, including restaurants, farms or any business.

5. Use bird-safe glass or decals

Like Flacco, bird collisions with buildings are extremely common. The windows of our homes and office buildings reflect the sky and clouds, making them appear like safe passages. Collisions are one of the leading causes of bird mortality. It is estimated that one billion birds die in this way every year.

One way to solve this problem is to put decals on the windows.

Most are transparent, allowing only birds to see the UV reflections that block them. Many birding groups, such as the American Bird Conservancy, are working with developers and state governments to build bird-safe buildings from the start. In fact, Flacco’s death prompted the New York State Senate to rename its Bird-Safe Construction Act the FLACO (“Feathered Lives Matter”) Act. If passed, it would require new state buildings (as well as those undergoing significant renovations) to adopt bird-friendly designs.

6.Become a wildlife volunteer or citizen scientist

Wildlife rescue centers are looking for volunteers to help care for tens of thousands of injured and orphaned animals every year. Speaking of owls, many are poisoned, hit by cars, injured in building collisions, or become entangled in fishing nets and barbed wire.

Once they lose their wings or the sight of their eyes, they are difficult to release back into the wild. Some injured owls have become ambassadors showing the wonders of nature to schoolchildren.

You can also report an injured owl to a wildlife rehabilitator in your area at https://ahnow.org/

Grab some binoculars and become a citizen scientist. You can participate in the bird count through the Census. The Great Backyard Bird Count is held each February and the Christmas Bird Count is held each December.

Scientists rely on these numbers to determine how bird populations are doing year after year.

7. Donate to a bird charity

Birding and conservation organizations work every day to save bird species and protect more wildlife habitats.