Agricultural scientists in Assam have extended a helping hand to the farmers to fight back and manage rodents with the help of the humble barn owl, which is called the natural pest control.
Scientists at the Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS), of the Assam Agricultural University, have started distributing artificial wooden nest boxes among farmers across several districts for these birds to roost. Known as ‘farmers’ friends’, barn owls act as natural pest control agents since they feed on over 20 types of mammal species, including rodents.
How it all started:
The idea came into being in 2012 when Prabal Saikia who is an ornithologist and chief scientist at RARS, heard about a man named Dilip Konwar, from Assam’s Lakhimpur district, who housed a family of owls inside his rice mill to keep rats at bay.
In 2009, it was a cold winter morning when Dilip Konwar, a sprightly man in his late forties, scrambled up a bamboo ladder and peeked into the dark insides under the roof of his shop, to investigate the mysterious sounds coming from there. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Konwar saw a group of barn owl chicks, huddled together. Scattered around were severed heads of rats, snakes and garden lizards.
Attached to the back of Konwar’s grocery shop is his rice mill, which stands next to a paddy field and a small bamboo grove. During this time, there was a heavy infestation of rats in the area, an occurrence that Konwar attributed to his mill. But as time passed, Konwar noticed a significant decrease in the rat population. “It seemed to me that the owls were preying on rats from all over this area to feed their young,” said Konwar. “It saved my grains.”
Soon, the news of Konwar’s owls reached the Regional Agricultural Research Station of the Assam Agricultural University, in North Lakhimpur.
About Dilip Konwar:
Dilip Konwar is a resident of Gohain Gaon, a village in Kadam tehsil of Assam’s Lakhimpur district. In this part of India, barn owls (Tyto alba), locally known as lokkhi phesa, are considered auspicious. The lokkhi phesa, named after Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and good fortune, represents the vehicle of the goddess and is considered to be a bird of wisdom.
While speaking to the media Saikia said, “Natural insect, pest, and rodent control is crucial in the current times because the market value of organic products has increased exponentially.”
He further added that 90 percent of rodent control is usually done by the barn owls.
About Barn Owls:
Barn owls are prolific hunters. They are known as “farmers’ friends” as they feed on over 20 small mammal species worldwide including rodents, acting as natural pest control. These owls are medium-sized with long legs and wings and have a relatively shorter tail when compared to other similar sized owls. Owls have one of the most fascinatingly coloured eyes in birds but the Barn Owl exhibits dark eyes, and a distinct heart-shaped facial disc. This owl doesn’t have the characteristic ‘woo-woo-woo’ hoot of owls and utters a screechy ‘shreeeeeeeee’ to protect its territory. This cry is often heard during their courtship as well. Barn owls are predominantly nocturnal by nature and are more often heard than seen. According to several references, not only do barn owls pair for life, they also exhibit aerial displays and make purring sounds before mating, to strengthen their bond.
The Barn Owl mostly hunts small mammals, especially rodents (hence it’s called the ‘farmer’s friend’). Owls often regurgitate undigested bones, feathers from their prey in the form of pellets, the colour of which can tell us what their recent prey has been.
