EFFECTS OF RODENTICIDE ON GROWTH OF NESTLING BARN OWL, Tyto alba javanica IN OIL PALM PLANTATIONS

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of the first generation anti-coagulant rodenticide, chlorophacinone and the second generation rodenticide, bromadiolone on nestling growth of barn owl, Tyto alba javanica in oil palm plantations. Forty-two nestlings were selected from rodenticide-free, chlorophacinone and bromadiolone treated plots. Growth rates of nestlings were measured by taking body weight, culmen length, tarsus length and wing length on a periodic basis. Dead nestlings were collected during daily observations. Autopsies were carried out to determine cause of mortality and internal organ (livers) were harvested for analysis of residue by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Rodenticide-free plot scored the highest fledging success, i.e. 71.4% (n = 14) at 52 days after hatching. In chlorophacinone treated plot, six out of 14 nestlings or 42.85% successfully grew to fledging age of 52 days. In bromadiolone treated plot, only five or 35.75% (n = 14) of nestlings survived to fledging age. Three out of nine nestling carcasses found in bromadiolone treated area were collected for the analysis. Of these, two were detected with bromadiolone residue measuring 0.33 µg g -1 and 0.41 µg g -1 wet weight, respectively. In chlorophacinone treated plot, three out of eight carcasses were collected for analysis. The residue of chlorophacinone detected ranged from 0.18 µg g -1 to 0.21 µg g -1 . Nestlings that survived in the rodenticide-free area showed higher measurements for body weight, tarsus, culmen and wing length compared to bromadiolone and chlorophacinone treated plots.

Potential roles of birds diversity in optimizing sustainable oil palm plantations at PT Gunung Tua Abadi

“…Furthermore, the presence of predatory bird functions as a top predator in the ecosystem, assisting in the management of other pests such as rats, which are frequently seen in oil palm plantations [37]. Bird species such as Elanus caeruleus found in the study site with a land cover of HCV help control rat pests that can cause losses in oil palm plantations [38].…”

“…The first comes from the use of pesticides. Salim et al [38] discovered that a population of 40 barn owls was reduced to two within 30 months. Many were discovered dead with bleeding from the nostrils, a symptom of anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning.…”

The Use of Nest Boxes in Malaysia: Design and the Potential for Research and In-situ Conservation of Birds

“…Additionally, the cost of maintaining nest boxes was relatively cheaper than the costs of rodenticide and labour, which had been shown to reduce the overall cost spent by the plantation owners (Abidin et al, 2021). Other than in plantations with immature (Naim et al, 2010) or mature oil palms (Salim et al, 2014(Salim et al, , 2015(Salim et al, , 2016, nest boxes had also been provided in rice fields [ (Amzah et al, 2014;FFTC, 2002;Hafidzi et al, 2003Hafidzi et al, , 2007Hafidzi & Na'im, 2003a, 2003b, urban landscapes, e.g., urban garden; see Saufi et al (2020aSaufi et al ( , 2020b, and different habitat matrices, e.g., cocoa-coconut farmland; see Lee (1997)].…”

“…Before the 2000s, studies that involved provisioning nest boxes focused mainly on the methods to enhance/manage the local population (Duckett, 1991;Lee, 1997;Lenton, 1983), with few studies investigating their ecology (Lim et al, 1993). However, recent studies not only focused on upgrading previous methods (Abidin et al, 2021;Amzah et al, 2014;FFTC, 2002;Hafidzi et al, 2007;Hafidzi & Na'im, 2003b;Saufi et al, 2020b) but had expanded into their biology and ecology including breeding behaviour (Abidin et al, 2022;Naim et al, 2011;Salim et al, 2014), growth performance (Naim et al, 2010;Salim et al, 2016), egg measurement (Salim et al, 2015), home range (Hafidzi et al, 2003;Naim et al, 2012;Saufi et al, 2019), prey selection (Hafidzi & Na'im, 2003a;Puan et al, 2011Puan et al, , 2012Saufi et al, 2020a), and sex identification (Ravindran et al, 2018). In addition, some studies retrieved eggs, nestlings, and even adults from nest boxes to assess the level of anticoagulant rodenticide exposure and the associated effects towards their growth and behaviour (Naim et al, 2012;Salim et al, 2014Salim et al, , 2015Salim et al, , 2016.…”

Dampak aplikasi kumatetralil dan Sarcocystis singaporensis terhadap serangan hama tikus di perkebunan kelapa sawit

“…Rodentisida yang digunakan untuk pengendalian hama tikus harus bersifat aman terhadap predatornya seperti burung hantu (Susanto et al, 2015;Noor, 2020). Beberapa penelitian menunjukkan bahwa rodentisida generasi pertama relatif aman dibandingkan dengan generasi kedua terhadap pertumbuhan dan perkembangbiakan burung hantu Tyto alba (Naim et al, 2010;Naim et al, 2011;Salim et al, 2014;Salim et al, 2016).…”