Over the last 30 years World Bird Sanctuary has released over 800 captive-bred Barn Owls into the wild. The Barn Owl is the most endangered owl in the mid-West. While the species is no longer endangered, the wild population is still considered threatened, so we continue our work to breed barn owls and release them into the wild.
With the generous donation of a local family foundation, we plan to release 12-16 captive-bred Barn Owls this year. The first three were placed in their ‘hack Barn’ on Monday, May 9, and were released to the wild on 16 May.
Banding a young Barn Owl.
Once the birds are old enough to fly and support themselves (approximately 60-80 days) they are banded with a leg band issued by the United States Geological Survey. This band will serve as a unique identifier should the bird ever be captured during a study, admitted to a wildlife hospital, or if its body or skeleton should be found. This data will enable researchers to determine how long these owls live, how they move, and where they live.
The Barn Owls safely released into the hack barn, where they will stay for one week.
Once the birds are banded they are released into a 'hack barn.' This is a safe, enclosed barn where the owls will live for a week. They will continue to be fed while they are in the barn. After a week of acclimatization, the barn is opened and the owls are free to come and go as they please. Food will be left out for the birds for approximately a week after their full release. More often than not, they leave the first night to embark on their new lives as wild owls.
At World Bird Sanctuary we are proud of our propagation program, which was instrumental in getting the Barn Owl removed from the Missouri state endangered species list.
Submitted by Catherine Redfern, World Bird Sanctuary Director of Development
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