Israel and its neighbors don’t always get along. But an unlikely creature brings cooperation.

Hoo, hoo? you ask. Yes, it’s a barn owl! (Though they screech instead of hooting.)

Barn owls have round, moon-like faces. They can turn their heads nearly all the way around. And they perform an important job. The predators eat rodents and other pests. This protects crops and helps farmers.

Yossi Leshem is a retired professor from Tel Aviv University in Israel. He’s a zoologist—an animal expert. “A pair of barn owls eats between 2,000 and 6,000 rodents every year,” he says. That can allow farmers to stop using some chemical pesticides. Chemical pesticides help fight pests. But they can also introduce toxic chemicals to plants and soil.

Barn owls earn their name from their nesting habits. They tend to roost in barns. But really, the nooks and crannies of any man-made building will do. 

That’s where the problem comes in. Modern buildings have fewer nooks and crannies. Barn owls are running out of homes. Fewer barn owls means more pests.

In the 1980s, people in Israel and nearby Jordan worked together to help. Professor Leshem led the project. They built plywood nesting boxes. These boxes gave barn owls new homes. The partnership grew. Other communities around Israel joined in.

“Barn owls know no boundaries,” says Professor Leshem, speaking of country and territory borders. “They symbolize cooperation.”

Even during war, Arab and Israeli scientists help each other protect the owls. When bombs destroy nesting boxes, they keep working.

“We never stop. We just keep going,” says Professor Leshem. “That’s why this project is successful.”

War isn’t the only obstacle. Some people in the region see barn owls as a sign of “bad luck.” Barn owl protectors work to change this mindset.

“We started awareness programs in schools and universities, engaging local communities. We involved women’s associations because they influence families and communities,” says Mansour Abu Rashid. He’s a retired general from Jordan. “Children colored in pictures of barn owls.”

Barn owls display God’s amazing design in nature. He made these birds to be powerful predators. When people remove part of God’s design, other parts suffer. When barn owls go away, pests run rampant. But people can work together to help heal creation.

I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. — Psalm 50:11