Barcelona reintroduces owls to Montjuïc to restore biodiversity and control rodents.

Barcelona, ​​Oct 3 (EFEverde).- Barcelona City Council and the Generalitat (Catalan government) have reintroduced barn owls into the Montjuïc forests to restore their original biodiversity and contribute to the natural control of rats and other rodents, species that are part of their diet.

A vulnerable species returns to the city

The barn owl (Tyto alba), a nocturnal bird of prey common in rural and peri-urban environments, had disappeared from Montjuïc mountain after decades of population decline. It is currently listed as a vulnerable species in Catalonia due to habitat loss and pesticide use.

With this initiative, Barcelona City Council, through the Municipal Institute of Parks and Gardens and the Directorate of Cultural Heritage, together with the Department of Territory, Housing, and Ecological Transition of the Generalitat (Catalan Government) and the environmental organization Galanthus, seek to promote their stable return to the naturalized urban environment.

Liberation at Montjuïc Castle

The animals were released at Montjuïc Castle, an 18th-century enclave with open spaces, refuge areas, and abundant wildlife to feed on. The project includes scientific monitoring using infrared cameras and the placement of GPS devices on two specimens to monitor their movements once they begin free flight.

Following the success of the first release, a second release of chicks was carried out in the same nest box installed in the castle, thus consolidating the reintroduction into the environment.

Biodiversity and biological control

The project has a dual objective: to strengthen urban biodiversity and promote sustainable biological control of murine populations in parks and public green spaces. The barn owl, by feeding primarily on small mammals, becomes a natural ally in the ecological management of urban wildlife, reducing the need for chemical methods.

EFEverde