“This small nocturnal bird of prey symbolises the great successes that conservation projects can achieve,” BirdLife said on ThursdayExternal link. “It also illustrates the consequences of neglecting biodiversity in public policies related to land use planning and agriculture.”
Once common in the orchards of northern Switzerland, the little owl became rare in the last century. Twenty years ago, only 50 to 60 pairs were still recorded. This trend has now been reversed thanks to conservation projects by BirdLife and others, but the association says the bird’s numbers are still insufficient to ensure its survival.
The little owl, which measures only 20 centimetres, feeds on various small prey, such as rodents, reptiles or insects. The owl breeds preferably in the cavities of old trees.
But over the last few decades, millions of tall-stemmed fruit trees have been felled and orchards have been replaced by buildings, says BirdLife. Over-fertilisation and the widespread use of pesticides have also deprived the little owl of its food supply.
BirdLife says it has chosen the little owl, with its “magnificent eyes and mewing call”, as an “ambassador for the quality of cultivated landscapes” and biodiversity.
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
How is your country dealing with the return of stolen artifacts?
Western nations like Switzerland often have to deal with the process of recovering or returning looted artifacts which have been illegally imported. What’s the situation like in your country?
Swiss cinemas report drop in admissions in first half of 2024
This content was published on
The decline in cinema-goers has continued so far this year. Swiss films and smaller cinemas are holding up better than big US productions and multiplex.
Spread of Japanese beetle leads to lawn-watering bans in Basel
This content was published on
Basel City authorities have extended an infestation zone with strict guidelines to a good third of the canton’s territory.
This content was published on
The lapwing, which almost became extinct in Switzerland, has been voted Bird of the Year 2019 by nature conservation group BirdLife Switzerland.
Pandemic turns Swiss into nation of bird ‘twitchers’
This content was published on
The conservation group challenged people to log the number of bird species in their gardens over the course of the week. Households, individuals and school classes responded with a record 140,850 sightings, BirdLife SwitzerlandExternal link reported on Sunday. The most common reported sightings were blackbirds, sparrows and great tits. But a number of other species,…
This content was published on
A decline in kestrels in Switzerland’s central plateau region has been reversed, thanks to the installation of nesting boxes.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.