Grassland Conservation

Implementing a Burrowing Owl Habitat Management Plan tailored to specific Canadian regions involves collaborating with local conservation organizations and adhering to region-specific guidelines.

Best Management Practices

Western Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) rely on grassland ecosystems, which are often used for agriculture and ranching in Western Canada. To support their conservation while maintaining productive land use, landowners can implement Best Management Practises (BMPs) that enhance habitat quality, reduce threats, and promote sustainable land stewardship.

Quick Reference Points

Maintain pasture lands with enough burrowing mammals to provide nesting habitat.
Avoid excessive use of insecticides and poisons.
Encourage farmers and landowners not to disturb areas where burrowing owls live for example,
delay haying until young burrowing owls leave the nest.
Report sightings to your regional BOA program lead (add email address for BOA).
Do not destroy burrows or exterminate burrowing mammals like foxes, badgers, prairie dogs and
ground squirrels.
Donate to your regional programs working to protect and conserve the species. Find links to
program websites and ways to donate region sections.
Link to BOA landowner card and landowner manual

For full information, download our Landowner Manual and Landowner Card.

Natural Burrow with young Burrowing Owls: Natural burrows are excavated by foxes,
badgers, ground squirrels, and prairie dogs. Burrowing Owls take over burrows as they
cannot dig out an entire burrow.
Red Fox: One of the main burrow excavators for Burrowing Owls in Canada
Artificial nest burrow: Black tubing (6” weeping tile or Big “O”) used to create protected
nest structures for wild and reintroduced Burrowing Owls
Ferruginous Hawk: The largest soaring hawk in North America and a species at risk, a
grassland specialist.
American Badger: One of the main burrow excavators for Burrowing Owl burrows/nests
in Canada, also a listed species at risk in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, due to habitat loss and
fragmentation.
Artificial Nest chamber (bucket): Female Burrowing Owls and their young utilize a
nesting area. The females exclusively incubate the eggs for 28 to 30 days. Burrowing
Owls can have over a dozen eggs in a single clutch, and the eggs hatch at different
times.
Grazing Cattle: Grazing cattle play a crucial role in maintaining grasslands and
supporting grassland-dependent species, such as Burrowing Owls. These owls nest in
the ground and spend significant time near their burrows, hunting and keeping watch for
predators. By keeping the grass short, cattle provide the owls with a better vantage point
to observe their surroundings and spot potential threats.
Pocket mouse, Salamander, and Grasshopper: Burrowing Owls have a varied diet
and primarily eat insects and small mammals. One family of Burrowing Owls can eat up
to 8,000 insects and 1,700 small mammals in one breeding season. They also eat frogs,
salamanders, snakes, and small birds.

Where to begin?

To begin implementing a habitat, we’ll need to supply you with information based on the region you live in. Below you’ll find some introductions and brief backgrounds on the programs operating across western Canada. For complete information, please download our documents on this page.

British Columbia

Burrowing Owl Conservation Society of BC (BOCSBC)burrowingowlbc.org

Habitat Creation and Maintenance: BOCSBC focuses on building and maintaining nesting burrows in conservation areas, often on private lands. They collaborate with landowners to establish and monitor these sites.

Captive Breeding and Release: The society raises owls in dedicated breeding facilities located in Kamloops, Port Kells, and Oliver. After a year, young owls are tagged, paired, and released into nesting burrows in the wild.

Landowner Participation: BOCSBC’s conservation efforts are largely conducted on private land, emphasizing the importance of landowner involvement. They encourage landowners to participate in their conservation programs.

Contact: bocsbc@gmail.com

Alberta

Operation Grassland Community (OGC)grasslandcommunity.org

Landowner Collaboration: OGC is a stewardship program in Alberta that collaborates with landholders to conserve prairie wildlife habitats, including those of the Burrowing Owl. Established in 1989, OGC has formed voluntary agreements with numerous landholders, resulting in the protection of over 900,000 acres of native prairie habitat in Southern Alberta. These efforts are crucial for species at risk, such as the Burrowing Owl.

Research and Monitoring OGC members actively participate in annual wildlife surveys, including those for Burrowing Owls. The program also assists landholders in implementing sustainable land management practices to enhance grassland quality, benefiting both wildlife and agricultural operations.

Education and Outreach: Through education, outreach, and habitat enhancement projects, Operation Grassland Community plays a significant role in the conservation of Burrowing Owls and the preservation of Alberta’s grassland ecosystems.

Contact: operationgrasslandcommunity@gmail.com

Wilder Institutewilderinstitute.org

Reintroduction Efforts: The Wilder Institute, in collaboration with partners such as Alberta Environment and Protected Areas, the University of Alberta, and Environment and Climate Change Canada, is boosting the Bburrowing oOwl population in Alberta through a conservation technique known as head starting. This method involves taking the youngest owlets, which are least likely to survive in the wild, into human care during their first winter and releasing them as adults the following spring.

Landowner Collaboration: Wilder Institute Burrowing Owl work is only possible because of involvement from the local community. Each year, Burrowing Owl surveys, nest monitoring, and releases take place in the Canadian Forces Base Suffield National Wildlife Area and on privately managed ranches in the Suffield area.

Education and Outreach: Engages in public education and community involvement to raise awareness about the plight of Bburrowing Oowls and the importance of grassland ecosystems.

Contact: info@WilderInstitute.org

Saksatchewan

Nature Saskatchewan - Operation Burrowing Owl (OBO)naturesask.ca

Habitat Stewardship: Launched in 1987, this program aims to conserve habitat for the Burrowing Owl through voluntary stewardship agreements and informed land stewardship. Even if owls are not currently present, maintaining suitable habitat is crucial for potential population increases. As of 2024, 339 landholders are conserving over 218,000 acres of habitat while using their land as they always have Site Identification and Population Monitoring: Operation Burrowing Owl monitors Burrowing Owl populations at OBO sites through an annual census. Participants report the number of owls seen and changes in land use.

Education and Awareness: The program provides information and increases awareness to landholders and members of the public about Burrowing Owls, their natural history, habitat requirements and threats, and the importance of conserving prairie habitat and species diversity.

Contact: obo@naturesask.ca

Manitoba

Manitoba Burrowing Owl Recovery Program (MBORP)mborp.ca

Reintroduction Efforts: Established in 2010, MBORP focuses on reintroducing Burrowing Owls to southwestern Manitoba. They release pairs that have successfully nested and fledged young to promote site fidelity.

Research and Monitoring: The program collects data on productivity, foraging behavior, home range, diet, dispersal, and mortality to inform recovery strategies.

Landowner Collaboration: MBORP works with landowners to maintain and enhance habitats, including installin

Contact: mbburrowingowls@gmail.com