Serbia bird deaths: Suspected poisonings threaten much-loved owls - BBC News

The death of hundreds of birds could harm the wider ecosystem, including a population of long-eared owls.

1 day agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, ReutersImage caption, Thousands of birdwatchers in Serbia and from abroad regularly travel to Kikinda to see the long-eared owls in the town's parksBy Guy De LauneyBBC News, BelgradeBird watchers call Kikinda, in northeast Serbia, the "world capital of long-eared owls".

As many as 700 of these striking birds of prey - which get their name from their distinctive ear tufts - spend the winter months roosting in the trees around the main square of this small Serbian town close to the border with Romania.

But local ornithologists are warning that the much-cherished owl population may be under threat, after they discovered more than 800 dead birds in nearby fields in recent days. Experts believe they could have been poisoned.

None of the dead birds were long-eared owls. They are mostly rooks and jackdaws, which are locally-protected species. But they are crucial to the local ecosystem and to the long-eared owls, which are also protected.

"The rooks build nests," says Marko Sciban, who works for the LIFE Danube Free Sky Project. "When they leave them in May, they are used by owls, red-footed falcons and kestrels."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68479830

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