Silent and deadly, barn owls become farmers’ best friends in California pest control
Flying silently through Nick Davis’ almond orchard, a barn owl swoops through the blossoming trees, listening for the slightest rustling of what could be its next meal.
With one-inch talons and a grip stronger than a human hand, the white-faced barn owl is as majestic as it is lethal to rodents.
Davis, a farmer and entrepreneur, has developed a newfound respect for the winged assassins after installing an owl box on his Madera County almond ranch.
He was so impressed with the efficiency of the predator’s abilities to catch pests, he launched a company that designs and sells owl boxes, called The Owl Box Company.
Selling for $187, the box is made out of three-quarter inch plywood coated with a water sealer. The outside of the box has several unique features, including an oval shaped opening to allow easier access for the barn owl and several grooves under the opening for the owl to grip as it enters the box.
Inside the box, there is a divider partially separating the entrance and the main chamber where the owl family lives.
The divider also serves as protection for the owlettes who can be prey for other winged predators including hawks or Great Horned Owls.
In the two and a half years since starting his company, Davis has sold about 700 owl boxes. And the demand keeps growing, especially among farmers seeking alternatives to using bait poison.
“California is just not friendly to that anymore. So we have to come up with alternative means to to manage our pests,” Davis said.
Using owls to control pest problems in ag
The battle between farmer and rodent is age-old and one that can cost millions of dollars in damage to irrigation tubing, newly planted trees, and devoured crops.
Davis has a collection of damaged irrigation tubing perforated with small holes made by gnawing rodents, most likely rats. When the irrigation system is activated, water sprays in different directions and not on the almond tree as intended.
That’s were the owls come in.
What Davis and others have learned is that owls are voracious eaters of the pests that have tormented farmers, including gophers, rats, and voles.
Experts say a pair of owls feeding their young during the breeding season can catch up to 70 pounds of rodents. They eat their prey whole and regurgitate the hair, bones, teeth and feathers into a compact ball called a pellet.
Look underneath an owl box and you will evidence of their last meal. Davis has torn a few pellets apart and found the heads of gophers, a rat and lots of tiny bones.
Owls make their homes in boxes
Although owls are nocturnal and generally hunt at night, you will see an owl on occasion during the daytime, Davis said.
Recently at his ranch, a barn owl flew out of a box and into a nearby almond orchard. It made no sound as it glided through the rows of blossoms.
“You may hear them make a click, click, click noise or a screech, but otherwise you will never hear them. They are silent fliers,” Davis said. “Because they can see so well and hear so well and fly so quietly, that makes them one of the most extremely efficient hunters.”
The owls are also efficient at finding their own homes.
Davis chuckled when asked if he supplies the owls along with the boxes. The owls find their own homes, typically in a barn, hollow trees, caves or owl boxes.
In late December to early January, a male owl will be in search of a home. If he finds an empty owl box with a plentiful supply of food nearby he will likely stay and seek a mate.
“He’ll attract a female, court her and she will go inside the owl box,” Davis said. “They’ll hang out for a little bit, and then he will provide her food. If she likes what she gets, she’ll stick around, too. Then they mate and raise a family.”
This story was originally published March 4, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
