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Owls live in artificial nests in Cyprus for reasons related to rats?

author:Cyprus Island Homestead
Owls live in artificial nests in Cyprus for reasons related to rats?

Part 01/

More than a thousand artificial nests of owls have been stocked on the island

Last year, volunteers from the Cypriot bird protection organization BirdLife Cyprus spotted a female owl and her young birds, and to better track their condition, volunteers put rings on the owls and sent them into the artificial nests of Cypriot owls to live.

Owls live in artificial nests in Cyprus for reasons related to rats?

Wear a marking ring on the owl's feet

This year, volunteers met the "mother owl" again, and after following her back to the nest, they found that there were three more "baby owls" in the nest. "We circled three of its cubs again and hope they'll be there next year." Volunteers recorded the story on social platforms.

BirdLife Cyprus says there are more than 1,000 artificial nests of owls like this one across the island of Cyprus.

Although these artificial nests were built for owls, these nests became the home of other species, such as sparrowhawks, cuckoos, and crows.

Sometimes, owls, like legitimate owners, will desperately resist with their paws and drive out any birds that occupy their nests without permission.

Part 02 Why build an artificial nest for an owl

To answer the question ,Why build an artificial owl nest," you first need to understand what an owl is.

The owl, also known as the barn owl, is a nocturnal raptor that is often considered the farmer's best ally against rodents because it feeds almost entirely on rodents, or mice.

Each owl eats four to six rodents per night, while an owl family eats up to 6,000 rodents a year.

Therefore, protecting owls and increasing the number of owls on the island can control the number of rodents in disguise, thereby reducing the frequency of rodenticide use in rural areas. And this law has been confirmed in Israel.

Owls live in artificial nests in Cyprus for reasons related to rats?

Thanks to artificial nesting boxes, Israel has succeeded in reducing the use of rodenticides in rural areas by 80 per cent since 2006.

Cyprus is therefore also poised to prepare a national action plan for owls, of which the construction of artificial nests is an important task.

This initiative is still in the pilot phase, and biological control of rodents will help reduce the use of chemicals such as rodenticides. These chemicals can pose a serious threat to wildlife and biodiversity.

Therefore, during the visit of the Cypriot Environment Minister to Israel, the two countries decided to draft and sign a memorandum of understanding to jointly share information on the artificial nesting box of owls, exchange information and cooperate with each other.

Owls live in artificial nests in Cyprus for reasons related to rats?

Part 03/ What are the habits of owls?

The world-famous "business card" of owls is the habit of day and night, so people who stay up late or turn their schedules upside down are often compared to "owls".

In fact, the owl has many "secrets" that few people know.

There are thirteen species of owls on the European continent, but most of them still live in Asia and North America. Therefore, they have different activity spaces and are adapted to their habitat. The most well-known species of owl is the barn owl, which is very fond of moving in places where humans colonize or inhabit. Most of the owls that inhabit artificial nests on The Island of Sai are barn owls.

Owls live in artificial nests in Cyprus for reasons related to rats?

When the owl eats, it can often swallow the prey in its entirety, and after digestion, it will mix the unabsorbed fur, bone, chitin and other debris into a clump and spit out, the scientific name is "cocoon".

Moreover, the owl's head can rotate nearly 360 degrees. Almost all owls can't move their eyeballs, so they can only move their eyes by turning their heads.

The meaning of the owl in Eastern and Western cultures is very different.

In Chinese culture, the owl has the meaning of "doom and terror". In ancient times, the owl was even more ominous, known as the "bird of mourning" and "the bird of soul hunting".

In western Aegean and Christian cultures, the owl is a symbol of "luck and wisdom" and a messenger of the goddess Athena. Since the owl symbolizes knowledge and wisdom, in many fairy tales, the owl appears as a doctor and a wise man.

【END】

-- References --

Cyprus Mail, Birdlife Cyprus, CCTV Records, Wikipedia

-- This issue edits --

Catherine

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