Owls are considered as dominant predators for control of rats and mice population in agricultural fields and presently their populations are continuously declining in Punjab, Pakistan. The present study was aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude of people of rural and urban areas about the declining trend of owls. During this survey, more than 1600 people were asked to collect information regarding the owl populations from six localities including Faisalabad, Sialkot, Jhang, Lahore and Bahawalnagar. Four parameters were the major part of the questionnaire: familiarity, misconceptions, awareness about owls and their acceptance as a biological controlling agent. The results revealed that about 95% of people were familiar with owls in the agro-ecosystem. Only 15.6% of people thought that owls should be eliminated; 23.0% were of the opinion that owl’s presence in a locality leads to ruination; 33.3% agreed that the owls presence was a sign of bad omen; 41.8% considered them as signs of foolishness; 47.0% believed that owl’s body parts were used for black magic purposes. In contrast, 50% of people acknowledged that owls are beneficial to humans; 60.3% knew that owls are the enemies of rodents, 67.7% agreed that they are suppressors of rats and mice and 63.8% agreed that artificial nest boxes can serve as their nests and roosts. It was encouraging to know that 74.8% showed their willingness to enhance the owl’s population on their farms, and 74.0% were willing to permit the installation of nest boxes in or near the villages. The study of attitudes of respondents towards owl will help to develop an effective conservation strategy and to boost owl’s population in croplands for biological control of rats and mice.
Diversity in avian assemblages of urban (UR), peri-urban (PE) and rural (RU) areas was studied to explore variations in the avian community dynamics in rural – urban gradient. For this purpose, sampling was done from September 2013 to August 2015. A total of 35 sites, each covering an area of 300 m2 were sampled by using point count method. At each site, randomly three points (minimally 5 m apart from each other) were selected to study the birds. According to data, species richness (F2, 32=47.18, P<0.001) varied significantly along a rural-urban gradient. A significant difference in avian density per sampling site (F2, 32=105.41, P<0.001) was also observed along urbanization gradient. In PE and RU areas, avian assemblages were more diverse than UR areas. Among avian guilds, omnivores were the most abundant in UR while insectivores in PE areas. Frugivores and carnivores were abundant in RU areas. Granivores were recorded in all habitats with similar diversity. A close association was recorded in bird density of RU and PE areas than UR areas. Bird species richness and diversity showed negative correlation with built area and positive correlation with vegetation cover in an area.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.