Israeli and Jordanian Scientists Collaborate on Project to Use Barn Owls for Pest Control

Barn owl. (shutterstock) shutterstock

Yossie Leshem: ‘A pair of barn owls can consume between 2,000 and 6,000 rodents each year, allowing farmers to stop using pesticides.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Israeli and Jordanian scientists have teamed up on a project that uses barn owls to control rodent populations.

The project, which began several decades ago, was the subject of a conference in Greece in January, attended by experts from 12 countries.

The initiative aims to harness the owls’ natural prey-hunting instincts, enabling farmers to reduce the use of chemicals and toxins that are harmful to animals, humans, and the environment.

Barn owls can rotate their heads up to 270 degrees, compared to 170 degrees for humans. Additionally, their screeches, which are grating rather than gentle, are effective in scaring away rodents. However, urban construction often lacks the nooks and crannies of older buildings, removing the natural nesting spaces for barn owls.

The project addresses this by creating artificial nests for the owls and encouraging the elimination of harmful pesticides that could poison them.

“A pair of barn owls can consume between 2,000 and 6,000 rodents each year, allowing farmers to stop using pesticides,” says Yossi Leshem, professor emeritus at Tel Aviv University’s School of Zoology.

Leshem began his project with just a few nesting boxes on his kibbutz, and since then, the initiative has gained global attention. “What started with 14-inch nesting boxes in one kibbutz has grown into a national project with 5,000 boxes in Israel and partnerships in Jordan, Palestine, Cyprus, and Morocco,” he says.

In 2002, Leshem partnered with Jordanian scientist Mansour Abu Rashid, who developed a tracking system using radio transmitters to monitor the owls. Abu Rashid helped extend the project’s tracking system to Jordan, using lightweight radio transmitters to track the birds.

“Barn owls fly between Jordan, Palestine, and Israel,” said Leshem. “They symbolize cooperation.”