Eagle Owl Project

The Eurasian Eagle-Owl Project

The Eurasian eagle-owl is experiencing a sharp decline throughout Switzerland and in Ticino as well. In 1987–89, about ten occupied sites were identified between the Magadino Plain and the Riviera. The same census, repeated in 2013–2016, found only two breeding pairs. In Ticino, the presence of this nocturnal bird of prey is threatened by heavy human activity along the valley floors. A major cause of death for the species is collisions with power lines. In 2005, a young Ticino Eurasian Eagle-Owl was fitted with a satellite tracking device as part of a study by the University of Bern in collaboration with Ficedula; in 2006, two more juveniles were tagged, both of which died as a result of collisions. The protection of nesting cliffs is essential for the species’ survival, along with the preservation of open areas that are indispensable for hunting. The closure of several quarries used for aggregate storage could jeopardize the species’ presence at some important nesting sites.

In 2023, thanks to decisive action by Ficedula, one of the historic nesting sites of the Eurasian eagle-owl in Italian-speaking Switzerland was spared a major threat.
For the new Officine facilities to be built in the current hunting grounds of this pair of Eurasian eagle-owls, the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) and the Federal Office of Transportation (FOT), backed by highly authoritative expert advice, had designated a biodiversity hotspot right on the outer perimeter of the industrial complex, beneath a tangle of power lines. As is well known, in addition to electrocution, one of the main causes of death for this large nocturnal bird of prey is collision with power lines.

This site would have become a textbook example of an ecological trap! Thanks to the Federal Office for Spatial Planning (UFT) and the Federal Office for the Environment (UFAM), which were persuaded by Ficedula, along with ProNatura, WWF, and the Office for Nature and Landscape of the Department of Spatial Planning. The Eurasian eagle-owl is now safer!