$900,000 to Burrowing Owls & Wind Energy Nightmare for Rare Parrots

Endangered Bird Update Topics

Cape Coral Burrowing Owls

Do you know what city is home to Florida’s largest population of Burrowing Owls? It’s none other than Cape Coral! Just south of Fort Myers, thousands of Burrowing Owls call Cape Coral home.

Although the substantial numbers of Burrowing Owls in Cape Coral are encouraging, the Florida subspecies of Burrowing Owl is threatened in the state due to habitat loss for commercial development. 

As you can imagine, living in a large city such as Cape Coral is challenging for these tiny owls. Luckily, the community has embraced their subterranean feathered residents, and a recent grant awarded to Cape Coral is allowing the city to purchase land for Burrowing Owl conservation. 

Cape Coral recently received a grant worth up to $900,000 from multiple state wildlife agencies. In February 2025, the city council gave permission for the purchase of 5 lots that will be transformed into havens for Burrowing Owls. 

There are now 81 lots totaling about 10 acres owned by the city of Cape Coral for Burrowing Owl conservation. Conservation easements are applied to the properties once they’re purchased, meaning they will forever be free of development. 

Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife will manage these properties and promote Burrowing Owl use. This can be done by starting burrow excavations that will be finished by the owls once discovered. 

Overall, Cape Coral is doing some incredible work to manage these threatened owls. Their commitment to the protection of this species makes it easy to see why so many Florida Burrowing Owls call the city home.

Wind Turbines and Orange-bellied Parrots

The Orange-bellied Parrot has gotten plenty of news coverage in the last few months, as this critically endangered species has been central to the debate about a potential wind turbine farm being constructed on Robbins Island in Tasmania. 

This project has been in the works for two decades, but environmental groups have been vocal critics of the project as they’ve cited concerns about how various birds and animals would be impacted. However, the implementation of this wind turbine farm is now closer than ever, leaving ornithologists worried – and for good reason.

Tasmania’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment attached GPS transmitters to 12 Orange-bellied Parrots last year, and the results found that half of those birds spent time around Robbins Island during their migrations from Tasmania to Southern Australia. 

This is concerning news for a species in which less than 150 wild birds remain, as it’s very likely that Robbins Island is a major stopover location for dozens of Orange-bellied Parrots. If more than 100 wind turbines are installed as the developers of this project hope, these massive structures would likely pose a severe threat to this critically endangered species. 

This plan has cleared challenges levied in the Supreme Court, and now the fate of this development rests in the hands of Australia’s Federal Environment Minister. She has already delayed a verdict several times, but she’s now slated to make a decision in May 2025. 

Fortunately, news is not entirely bleak for the Orange-bellied Parrot. The captive population of this species exceeds 100 individuals, and those caring for these birds have done a masterful job at growing this captive community. 

30 young birds reared in captivity were recently released to mingle with the wild birds that breed in southwest Tasmania. The hope is that these birds will learn the historic migratory routes from their wild counterparts and bolster the natural Orange-bellied Parrot population. 

Conservationists are making great strides towards helping this species recover, and they’re desperately hoping that the proposed wind farm doesn’t undo all of their hard work to save this stunning species. 

Yellow-breasted Bunting in Decline

My third endangered species account focuses on a recent study of Yellow-breasted Buntings conducted in Myanmar. Like Orange-bellied Parrots, Yellow-breasted Buntings are a critically endangered species. However, instead of a population of 150 birds, there are as many as 1 million Yellow-breasted Buntings remaining. 

You may wonder how a species with such a seemingly large population could be critically endangered. Well, when your population has crashed from 100 million birds in the 1980s to less than 1% of that number a half-century later, you’re afforded such protections. 

The reason for the alarming decline of Yellow-breasted Buntings has largely been driven by hunting on during winter and migration. In China, Hundreds of thousands are annually caught using mist nets at their roosts before being cooked and sold as snacks. 

With ornithologists recognizing the threat that Yellow-breasted Buntings face, an area in Myanmar was surveyed for this species for the first time since 2000. 

The survey aimed to provide thorough estimates of wintering Yellow-breasted Buntings in the Ayeyarwady Delta – an area of Myanmar rich in wetlands and habitat for a variety of birds. 

The team of six monitored 8 sites in their first season and 10 sites in their second season to provide data for this project. Of these sites, 3 were proven to be Yellow-breasted Bunting roost sites in season 1, while 4 were proven to be Yellow-breasted Bunting roost sites in season 2. 

During the first survey season, numbers of Yellow-breasted Buntings peaked at just shy of 6,400 birds in April among the roost sites being used. 2024 yielded much higher numbers of Yellow-breasted Buntings, with a peak of 37,700 being observed among the 4 roost sites in January. 

However, some of the survey area was actively being cleared for agriculture during the study period, reducing some of the available habitat for this critically endangered species. 

Overall, this study provided important insights into the Yellow-breasted Bunting’s presence in Myanmar, proving the country to be an important wintering location for this imperiled bird. The team that conducted this study hopes their work can be used to influence conservation decisions that could offer additional habitat for Yellow-breasted Buntings in Myanmar. 

Adaptable Hooded Plovers

The Hooded Plover is one of Australia’s most beloved shorebirds. These tiny, charismatic plovers with dark hoods and vibrant red eye rings may have plenty of fanfare, but their beachfront homes are in trouble. 

Hooded Plovers nest on stretches of beach just outside of the high tide zone. Alas, rising sea levels fueled by climate change are erasing the areas where Hooded Plovers like to nest. This has resulted in many nests of this species being washed away – a devastating consequence of human actions for a Vulnerable species with a total population of less than 10,000. 

Faced with the challenge of maintaining nests due to rising sea levels, some Hooded Plovers have started to place nests on the ledges of dunes that are out of reach for most waves. 

This flexibility should make their nests safer from the sea, but it may put birds in added danger from predators. Still, ornithologists are pleased by the adaptability of this species. 

While Hooded Plovers may be able to overcome the threat of rising sea levels, human disturbance remains perhaps the biggest obstacle for this species’ prosperity. Humans–whether intentionally or inadvertently–are a grave threat to Hooded Plovers, as people trample nests, disturb Hooded Plover parents, or allow their dogs to harass these tiny birds. 

The Australian government has invested millions into protecting the Hooded Plover, and there are dozens of volunteers that roam beaches and defend this species, but reducing human conflict with Hooded Plovers has long been a challenge that looks to remain an issue. 

Wattled Cranes Downgraded to Endangered in South Africa

Birders in South Africa are rejoicing at the recent news that Wattled Cranes have been downgraded from critically endangered to endangered in the country. 

This update came as researchers confirmed that the South African Wattled Crane population is no longer declining, instead remaining small and slightly increasing. 

A population assessment in 2015 revealed only 267 Wattled Cranes in KwaZulu-Natal – the stronghold for this species in South Africa. In 2024, it was estimated that now more than 300 Wattled Cranes call South Africa home, a modest yet encouraging increase over the last decade. 

Like all cranes, Wattled Cranes live for many years and reproduce very slowly. This means that it can take several decades to recover crane populations after low numbers, but every new crane added to the population is vitally important thanks to their long lifespans. 

The encouraging trend for the South African Wattled Crane population is attributed to a variety of factors such as educating the public about habitat conservation, conducting research on the habits of these birds, and preserving habitats that the species depends on. Additionally, important work has been done to reduce collisions with power lines. 

Globally, Wattled Cranes are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, with anywhere from 6,000-8,000 birds remaining. Ornithologists hope that the South African population can slowly but surely continue on its path to recovery.