‘Species on the brink’: Webcam offers glimpse of endangered northern spotted owl chicks

Two chicks are seen on the Northern Spotted Owl Breeding Program's webcam on May 6, 2026.

A breeding program for northern spotted owls—one of the most endangered species in Canada—has welcomed its first chicks of 2026, and the public can catch a glimpse of the rare birds on a live webcam.

The two chicks hatched last month at the Northern Spotted Owl Breeding Program’s facility in B.C.’s Lower Mainland, where staff are working to restore the species’ population to more than 250 adults over the coming decades.

There are currently fewer than five of the owls remaining in the wild, according to the program.

The recent arrival of the chicks—a male with a green spot on his head and a female with purple markings—represents the “goal we work toward each year,” facility co-ordinator Jasmine McCulligh said in a statement announcing the return of the annual webcam.

“We’re excited to share that experience with the public again this season,” McCulligh said. “The live nest camera gives people a look at a species on the brink and the work underway to help recover it.”

• RELATED: Watch the live owl chick webcam

The chicks, who are not genetic siblings, are being raised by “experienced foster parents,” two adult owls named Einstein and Zalea, according to a news release from the NSOBP.

Zalea is currently spending most of her time in the nest to keep the chicks warm, but that will change as time goes on, the program said.

The chicks are expected to fledge at about 30 days old, which will come around mid-May, leaving a window of only a couple weeks to see the rare birds.

Interested viewers have been told to tune in between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. for a potential live feeding—though staff warned it’s hard to predict when the parents will deliver the nourishment to the chicks.

The webcam is hosted by the NSOBP and the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program, a partnership between government bodies, First Nations and other stakeholders with an aim of conserving species in watersheds impacted by BC Hydro dams.