Officials at the Calgary Zoo, the Canadian Wildlife Service and Alberta Environment and Parks are now working together to give one of the most unique owls in Canada a better chance at survival.

Burrowing owls, listed as an endangered species because of a serious decline in their range in the southern prairies of Canada, are no larger than a pigeon and tend to nest burrows left vacant by prairie dogs.

As part of the conservation project, officials gathered 15 young owlets that were left on their own and may not have survived given the circumstances.

The birds are being taken care of at the Calgary Zoo’s Animal Health Centre as they prepare to move to winter lodgings at the zoo’s Devonian Wildlife Conservation Centre.

In spring 2017, the young owls will then be released back into the wild to breed, with their movements tracked with satellite transmitters.

“Our team worked side-by-side with federal and provincial field staff to gather 15 of the youngest owlets that may not otherwise survive,” says Dr. Axel Moehrenschlager, Director Conservation & Science, Calgary Zoo in a release. “Following an extremely successful first field season, we are very pleased with our progress to date and will continue to prepare for the next phase of the project. I am delighted that our team at the Calgary Zoo is able to lend our expertise to collaborate on such an exciting and ground-breaking project to help provincial wildlife resource managers keep burrowing owls in Alberta.”

Experts say the main challenge facing the owls is when they migrate south of the border to their winter homes in Mexico.

Few of the birds return to breeding grounds in Canada because of high mortality and a decision on the part of the owls to simply not return.

Officials believe that this head start program will address the key issue of a low return rate for first year owls.

According to data, wild populations have declined by a staggering 90 percent in the 1990s and continue to deteriorate.