10. Ghost birds -  Barn owls of Malaysia

 

This is the story of the breeding ecology and natural colonisation of barn owls (Tyto alba javanica) into the Malay peninsula during the 1980’s and how the speaker studied these birds and utilized them to control rat infestations in oil palm plantations. Today control of rats in Malaysia by barn owls has been adopted by many plantations saving millions of dollars on rat poison and is the only integrated biological control system of rodents by birds in the world. Radio telemetry, pole nest box occupation, species origin and habitat utilisation are all discussed.

 

Duration 1  hour plus