Calgary Zoo's burrowing owl conservation program sees major milestone achieved

Green48 is shown in a handout photo from the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo.

The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo is celebrating the return of a burrowing owl who left to winter in Mexico.

Officials announced on Tuesday that the owl, called "Green48" because of the green-coloured leg bands used to track her, had returned to nest at the zoo.  

The zoo says it's the first time since the launch of the facility's conservation program back in 2016 that a burrowing owl has migrated to Mexico, overwintered and returned to nest in Alberta.

"We brought her into the head-starting program in July 2022 as an owlet that was unlikely to survive her first year of life," said Graham Dixon-MacCallum, conservation research population ecologist at the zoo.

"After spending the winter under the diligent care of our staff, we released her back to the prairies in May 2023 into an artificial burrow."

Dixon-MacCallum says migration to and from Mexico across the continental USA is a "significant challenge" for burrowing owls, and many do not survive the trip.

"Having this burrowing owl return and nest is an example of why we should be hopeful for this endangered species."

Green48 wears a solar-powered satellite transmitter, like a backpack, so that the organization can track her travels.

Every minute for 10 hours, the device transmits location data before turning off to recharge.

"The information gathered helps inform conservation efforts by highlighting potential threats the birds may encounter during migration," said the zoo in a news release.

Since the program started, the institute has released 145 head-started burrowing owls back into the wild.