Welcome to Manitoba Burrowing Owl Recovery Program (MBORP)
What we're up to
The Manitoba Burrowing Owl Recovery Program (MBORP) was established in 2013 to address the urgent need to conserve the endangered Burrowing Owl in Manitoba. Like many grassland bird populations, the numbers of Burrowing Owls have declined significantly over the past 50 years. Specifically, Manitoba's Burrowing Owl population has decreased by 95% since the late 1970s.
Burrowing owls face numerous challenges to survival, with habitat loss being one of the most significant. Globally, grasslands are threatened, with less than 1% remaining intact. In Canada, over 50% of grasslands have been converted to other uses, such as agriculture, housing, energy exploration, and road development. The remaining grasslands are primarily used as grazing pastures for cattle, which have replaced the once wide-ranging grazers, the American bison. To maintain their integrity, grasslands need to be grazed or burned. Cattle play an important role in this environment by helping to preserve the grassland areas that are critical for the survival of grassland species.
Migration also presents many challenges for migratory bird species, particularly due to the decreasing availability of safe stopover habitats. Habitat loss, changes in land use, and habitat fragmentation all contribute to these difficulties. Additionally, climate change plays a significant role, leading to erratic and unexpected weather events in the areas where migratory birds travel.
Our Objectives
The MBORP aims to increase Burrowing Owl populations through fieldwork and educational conservation efforts. The organization prioritizes collaboration with cattle farmers in southwestern Manitoba to enhance grassland habitat for Burrowing Owls. Some of their activities include modifying grazing practices before and during the breeding season to create optimal habitats, installing predator-proof artificial nest burrows, and monitoring wild Burrowing Owl individuals, pairs, and nests. Over the last decade, MBORP has successfully installed more than 350 artificial nest burrows, thanks to the support of numerous landowners and volunteers.
From 2020 to 2024, there has been a small resurgence of Burrowing Owls returning to southwestern Manitoba, many of which are now using artificial nest burrows. The program has also observed banded owls returning to these burrows during the breeding season. MBORP bands owls to track their movements and identify owls on breeding and wintering grounds. As a migratory owl, Burrowing Owls do not remain in one location year-round; they can be found in Manitoba from April to October each year before migrating south to the southern United States and Mexico for the winter.