Conservation success as barn owl chicks thrive in Northern Ireland

• Ulster Wildlife experts identified two barn owl breeding pairs in County Fermanagh who have successfully reared five chicks each.
• The arrival of ten healthy chicks marks a boost for the species, which has fewer than 30 breeding pairs remaining in Northern Ireland.
• Barn owls remain red-listed in Ireland due to ongoing threats from habitat loss, rodenticide use, and food scarcity.
• The chicks are the first to be ringed in Fermanagh under licence from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency to monitor their survival and movements.
• Ulster Wildlife is appealing to the public, particularly local farmers and landowners, to report barn owl sightings across western Northern Ireland.