For nearly twenty years, Ficedula and BirdLife Switzerland have been working to conserve species associated with intensively farmed areas.

The Assiolo is one of these species that are priorities for conservation in Switzerland and require conservation measures.

For several years now, the two organizations have been monitoring this species.

The first practical conservation effort was carried out by BirdLife Switzerland in the Bolle di Magadino as early as the 1990s, when the first nest boxes were installed to encourage the species to nest there.

In recent years, to promote the Assiolo, Ficedula and BirdLife have installed over sixty special nest boxes and, above all, they have been working closely with farmers to encourage measures that benefit the species, such as mosaic mowing to promote the presence of grasshoppers, which this nocturnal bird of prey feeds on.

In 2022, Ismael Invernizzi completed his master’s thesis, titled “Distribution and Diet of the Eurasian Scops Owl (Otus scops) in Ticino,” in collaboration with BirdLife Switzerland and Ficedula. Thanks to the support of Kristy Deiner, an ETH professor and genetics specialist, it was possible to develop a new method for sampling environmental DNA, which provided important insights into the diet of this species.

In addition to genetic analysis, monitoring the Assiolo population in the Magadino Plain—and specifically a nesting pair—has provided essential information on the phenology of this species.