Project: Balia with a Collar

The "Balia with a Collar" Project

The Collared Flycatcher is found in Switzerland exclusively in Ticino and Graubünden, where it reaches the western limit of its range. In the mid-1990s, the population was estimated at 20–25 pairs, nesting primarily in chestnut forests at elevations between 500 and 1,000 meters above sea level. Currently, the species appears to be in sharp decline in Ticino and also in northern Italy. In 2004, a pilot study conducted by Ficedula to update the species’ distribution confirmed its further decline within the canton. Some pairs have established themselves in a new habitat type: floodplain forests.

The causes of the species’ decline are currently unknown. In addition to large-scale population dynamics, the lack of mature trees with cavities suitable for nesting and the degradation of chestnut groves appear to be the main threats. However, management measures for chestnut groves—and for forests in general—that could benefit the Collared Flycatcher are currently unknown. The conservation of chestnut groves, starting with the areas where the Collared Flycatcher is present, is therefore the first essential step toward its conservation.

Due to the sharp decline in the species’ population, the Ficedula Association has decided to support its survival by increasing the availability of suitable nesting sites through the installation of nest boxes.

In Ticino, starting in 2004, approximately 400 nest boxes were installed, of which about 40 were placed in Val d’Ambra and the rest in the species’ traditional nesting areas, mainly in the chestnut groves of Malcantone.

In recent years, thanks to the involvement of numerous volunteers, approximately 250 nest boxes have been installed or restored in 17 locations in Ticino and Moesano. A total of 73 nesting pairs were recorded in the locations equipped with nest boxes or in their immediate vicinity.

In addition, 21 other sectors were surveyed in search of the species, resulting in the discovery of seven more territories.

In 2023, one of our students wrote his bachelor’s thesis at the University of Basel on this very species. The species’ reproductive biology and environmental requirements were studied in detail with the aim of improving its conservation.

In 2024, the forest surrounding the Santa Maria Bigorio Convent and Sanctuary was restored and revitalized. The project, sponsored by the Associazione Amici del Bigorio, involved Ficedula, which provided consulting services for the restoration of the chestnut forest.

In fact, this site is the first where the presence of the Collared Flycatcher in Ticino was documented prior to the 1950s.
Among other things, the project made it possible to preserve the plants where the Collared Flycatcher had nested in the past, clear the underbrush, and install additional nest boxes for the species. Ficedula will monitor the forest’s repopulation by our flagship species.