In Wine Country, Barn Owls Eat Rodents—and Scare Them

by Cal Poly Humboldt
July 29, 2026

With summer comes the warmth and sunshine that wine grapes need to thrive. It also comes with more vineyard-destroying rodents. To keep vermin at bay while reducing the need for harmful pesticides, California vineyards have been turning to an avian ally: barn owls.

Cal Poly Humboldt Wildlife Professor Matt Johnson and Wildlife graduate student Katherine Larson, along with UC Davis Wildlife Professor Roger Baldwin,  found that barn owls reduce the number of rodents in vineyards not only by eating them but also scaring them, according to research. The study, published in Ecological Applications in March, provides insight into environmentally friendly natural pest control methods.

Keep reading: https://now.humboldt.edu/news/wine-country-barn-owls-eat-rodents-and-scare-them-w-video

Read the Ecological Applications paper: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eap.70253