Assessing Mitigation Translocation as a Tool to Reduce Human-great Horned owl Conflicts

Area of Science:

• Wildlife Ecology
• Avian Biology
• Conservation Science

Background:

• Great horned owls (Bubo virginianus) are generalist predators causing human-wildlife conflicts, including aviation hazards.
• Managing these conflicts is challenging due to the owls' nocturnal activity and wide habitat range.
• Great horned owl collisions with aircraft represent a growing aviation safety concern.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the influence of biological and logistical factors on the return rates of translocated great horned owls from airfields.
• To evaluate the efficacy of current mitigation translocation strategies for managing human-owl conflicts.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 1,020 great horned owls captured, banded, and translocated from 13 civil and three military airfields (2013-2023).
• Monitoring of translocated owls for return behavior to their original locations.
• Development and analysis of generalized linear models to assess the impact of age, month, and translocation distance on return rates.

Main Results:

• The overall return rate for translocated great horned owls was very low, at 2.6%.
• No significant evidence was found that age, month of translocation, or distance translocated influenced the owls' homing behavior.
• Current translocation practices may not effectively mitigate conflicts or prevent owls from returning.

Conclusions:

• Translocation is an ineffective mitigation strategy for great horned owls due to their low return rates and lack of response to varying factors.
• Management programs should consider release sites at least 40 km from conflict locations and single translocations to minimize homing and costs.
• Revised management strategies are necessary to effectively address human-great horned owl conflicts, particularly concerning aviation safety.