Birds protect crops

Israeli farmers put artificial nest for two species of rat-hunting birds to protect crops.

Pig birds can become a peasant's weapon in the fight against mice.Photo: ednewbold.com .

The Tel Aviv government has just decided to turn pig and bird breeding into a national program. Farmers participating in the program will receive state funding.

According to BirdLife International, mice are the food of many birds in Israel. Because farmers use pesticides to protect crops, the number of rats that die from ingesting the drug increases rapidly. Thousands of birds (including many endangered species) have died after eating poisoned mice.

Now, Israeli scientists are working with farmers to end this situation.

'Abandoning the habit of using chemicals in agriculture has become an urgent task. Many farmers think toxic chemicals are the only option against vermin. They sprayed them with much more mass than needed. They even use aircraft to spray pesticides on the field. We persuaded farmers to limit pesticides. It not only protects consumers' health, but also helps farmers reduce the cost of pesticides , 'said Tel Aviv University Dr. Motti Charter.

The Motti Charter - now the director of the owl protection project in Israel - said farmers put an extra bird box to enhance the rat killing ability. 'Birds of pigs hunt at night, even cutting activities during the day. So rats will be threatened during 24 hours. The results showed that crop losses were significantly reduced, ' Dr. Charter explained.

Unlike other European breeds, pig birds in Israel are not difficult to choose from. They can nest in places with suitable conditions and abundant food sources. Because the number of mice increases greatly and increases steadily year by year, one can put many artificial owls near a field without worrying about them competing for food.