Tracking the Long-distance Migration and Stopover Ecology of Flammulated Owls

Brian Linkhart, PhD

Tue, Oct 24, 2023 7:00 PM

The Rocky Mountains of southern Colorado have been the home base for a 40-year investigation of the breeding ecology of Flammulated Owls, a fist-sized insectivore that primarily breeds in the pine forests of western North America. Generations of banded (ringed) adults and their offspring on these study sites have revealed many insights on patterns in reproduction and survival, but until relatively recently, almost nothing was known of the owl’s wintering habits-indeed, migration had never been fully documented in the species, and some researchers suggested the owls might simply undergo torpor. That changed in 2010, when small coin-sized devices carried on the backs of Colorado breeders first revealed their fall and spring journeys and winter destinations, and more recent recoveries show the owls migrate as far south as southern Mexico and Central America. In this presentation, we track this annual journey, and discuss risks posed by a changing climate and habitat fragmentation.

Please join us for an illuminating session on Flammulated Owls!

The livestream can be found at our YouTube channel.