How Cavity Nesting Birds Benefit Farms and Ranches Healthy populations of cavity nesting birds provide significant benefits to farms and ranches. Understanding the roles played by the various species of birds, and their relationships to the habitat, is important for landowners who seek a better understanding of the ecological functioning of their land.
Pest control is one of the biggest benefits that cavity-nesting birds bring to farms and ranches.
Sonoma County Grape Growers Association encourages growers to use integrated pest management practices so that pesticides are only applied when pests pose economic risk, and to choose materials that are effective, yet have low environmental impacts. Birds help provide biological control as a component in an integrated pest management farming system. By encouraging specific species of cavity nesting birds on their property, landowners can promote alternative means of pest control. For example, some cavity nesters such as the barn owl consume rodents as a large portion of their diet. A breeding pair of owls can consume at least two rodents every night, and when their young have hatched this number can increase significantly.