The sad case of the Norfolk Island morepork shows we need a way to control or eradicate invasive rodents without killing native species. When pest rats and mice decimate populations of native species, pest control is a no-brainer. But what if baiting rats protects threatened songbirds, while poisoning critically endangered owls?...
Siju Platanero, Aka Cuban Pigmy Owl (Glaucidium siju). Evidently nesting nearby, this little guy flew to a perch right over my head, presumably to make sure I stayed on the straight-and-narrow. These small owls are nocturnal, but didn't seem shy about being visible in broad daylight. I saw them repeatedly during my stay in the Playa Larga (Playa Girón)/Ciénaga de Zapata area. It is found pretty much anywhere there are lots of trees, except at higher altitudes and forages night and day on lizards, insects, small mammals and birds. #nature#NaturePhotography#birds#Wildlife#naturecommunity#photography#BirdsOfMastodon#birdphotography#birding#Cuba#Cubanwildlife#biodiversity#owl
A ‘conservation conundrum’ – when rat control to conserve one species threatens another (theconversation.com)
The sad case of the Norfolk Island morepork shows we need a way to control or eradicate invasive rodents without killing native species. When pest rats and mice decimate populations of native species, pest control is a no-brainer. But what if baiting rats protects threatened songbirds, while poisoning critically endangered owls?...