By Avani Prakash
For decades, people have been installing bird houses in their backyards. Now, more people have begun putting up barn owl nesting boxes, which is beneficial to people as well as the owls. Unlike bird houses which require feeders and seed in the vicinity, taking care of barn owls is not expensive.
Barn owls are experiencing a severe decline in their population, with some of them being listed as a threatened or endangered species. Human activity, such as habitat destruction and use of pesticides are the reason for the endangerment of the species. Installing a nesting box provides the owls with a habitat to encourage population growth.
But why is it important to increase the owl population? Like all animals, owls play an important role in the ecosystem. Barn owls are necessary for rodent control. They are especially important to farmers as they are a defense against rodent infestation. Introducing predators to around your houses, farms, and gardens is a far superior method of rodent control than using cruel traps or poison to kill rodents. One pair of barn owls can consume up to 2000 rodents per year, and when feeding babies, the number significantly increases. A pair with six babies can consume 1000 rodents in the first three months of the offspring’s nesting.
Having an owl nesting box is educational and entertaining. Some sellers offer nesting boxes with a built in camera system, which allows you to observe the owls without disrupting their lives.
You can buy a nesting box online, or build one yourself!
Sources:
Comments