Barn Owl Conservation and Rodenticide Secondary Poisoning

Barn owls are declining across Europe and North America, and secondary poisoning from rodenticides used in agriculture and homes is a major factor in the death of breeding adults and chicks.

Key Facts

Surveys find second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides in the livers of over 90 percent of barn owls sampled in the UK
Barn owls require large territories with abundant small mammals and suitable barn or tree cavity nest sites
Secondary poisoning causes impaired flight coordination and reduced hunting success before death, causing suffering over several days
A breeding pair of barn owls can raise 4 to 7 chicks annually that each consume thousands of rodents, providing free natural pest control
Barn owl box schemes have successfully maintained or increased populations in areas where rodenticide exposure is managed

Welfare Considerations

Barn owls accumulating second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides from prey experience progressive neurological impairment before death. Impaired coordination affects their ability to hunt accurately, causing nutritional stress alongside the physiological effects of internal bleeding. Breeding adults that die from rodenticide accumulation leave dependent chicks that starve in nest boxes, multiplying the welfare harm. The irony of barn owl poisoning is that these birds naturally suppress the rodent populations that rodenticides target, meaning that poisoning barn owls undermines the very pest control service that motivates rodenticide use. Promoting barn owl box schemes and integrated pest management that reduces rodenticide use creates a virtuous cycle of natural pest control and wildlife welfare.

What You Can Do

Install barn owl nest boxes on rural properties to provide breeding habitat and benefit from natural rodent control
Avoid second-generation anticoagulant rodenticide use in buildings and fields where barn owls hunt
Support integrated pest management approaches that reduce rodenticide dependence through habitat management and exclusion
Report dead or dying barn owls to wildlife authorities for testing to contribute to rodenticide monitoring data
Donate to barn owl conservation organisations working on nest box schemes and rodenticide impact monitoring