There are more little owls living in Switzerland than there have been for 40 years. The owl species, which almost became extinct throughout Switzerland 25 years ago, now occupies 161 territories in Switzerland, the bird conservation organisation BirdLife announced on Tuesday. At the beginning of the 2000s, there were only around 50 territories left. Despite the encouraging development, the long-term survival of the little owl is not yet assured, emphasised the bird conservation organisation. BirdLife wants to increase the number of territories to 300 by 2031. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The little owl, one of the smallest native owl species, was once widespread in Switzerland. According to BirdLife, there were probably over 1,000 territories until the middle of the 20th century. With the intensification of agriculture and the loss of orchards and small structures, populations collapsed. 40 years of protecting little owls As early as the 1980s, the ...
