Northern Spotted Owl captive breeding program
The Northern Spotted Owl is one of Canada’s most endangered bird species. Its entire Canadian range occurs in southwestern British Columbia. Historic estimates suggest that up to 1,000 Spotted Owls were present in the province pre-European settlement. Currently, however, fewer than 30 individuals remain in the province and more than half of these owls reside in captivity at the breeding facility in Langley, B.C. This project’s mission is to prevent this species becoming extirpated from Canada by releasing captive-raised Northern Spotted Owls back into recovery habitats, which are protected for the species in B.C. The goal of this multi-year project is to produce captive-born Spotted Owls that can be released into suitable habitat within the Bridge-Seton Watershed, in order to recover the local population to a minimum of 20 individuals.