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Electrocution has frequently been suggested as a cause of territory abandonment and eventual population decline of threatened species, but this has been rarely tested. We investigated the impact of electrocution in two eagle owl Bubo bubo populations located in the Italian Alps and Apennines and subject to different levels of electrocution risk (i.e. low and high risk). The eagle owl is one of the species most affected by electrocution, to the point of causing local conservation and economic concern. In a review of 25 studies, electrocution was frequently cited as the major cause of death and has progressively increased in the last three decades, independently from other causes of mortality.

The impact of electrocution was tested by (i) comparing estimates of electrocution risk between currently occupied owl territories and infrequently occupied or abandoned territories; (ii) collecting information on the …