Solar farm becomes unexpected owl haven in Arizona
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Longroad Energy partnered with Wild At Heart, a bird rehabilitation center, to relocate nine pairs of burrowing owls and one male to the Sun Stream solar farm outside Phoenix, Arizona.
The owls had lost their natural habitat due to nearby urban development. Scientists installed cameras to monitor the owls in artificial burrows, observing their adaptation to the new environment.
Within one month of the relocation in March 2025, all the female owls laid eggs, and by late June, 36 owlets had hatched. After three months, 29 of those young owls successfully left their nests. Biologists gradually reduced supplemental feeding to encourage the owls to hunt on their own, later confirming through analysis of their droppings that the owls were catching insects. The Sun Stream farm demonstrates how renewable energy installations and wildlife conservation can coexist with careful planning.
Burrowing owls are facing habitat loss in the western United States due to agricultural expansion and urbanization, as these birds typically nest in burrows they dig in the ground. Experts believe the open space of the solar farm allows the owls to easily spot predators.
