Farmers trap and kill birds to protect crops in Bangladesh

On Sandwip island, farmers trap and kill birds to save crops, threatening rich biodiversity and sparking concern among residents, conservationists and officials as nets spread across coastal farmland rapidly today.

Farmers on a coastal island in southeastern Bangladesh are increasingly trapping and killing wild birds they see as crop enemies, raising alarm among residents and conservationists who warn the practice is rapidly destroying local birdlife.

In the embankment-adjacent areas of Santoshpur Union in Sandwip upazila of Chattogram, thin white nylon nets have been stretched tightly over cucumber fields that sit right beside natural bird habitats. From a distance, the nets resemble a sheet of mist floating over the crops. For birds searching for insects or feeding on tender cucumbers, the fields have become deadly traps.

The area is known for its dense vegetation and rich biodiversity. At dawn and dusk, the calls of bulbuls, drongos, doves and mynas usually fill the air. That soundscape, locals say, is now fading as birds become entangled in the nets and die struggling to escape.

During a visit to the area last Sunday, a bulbul was seen flapping helplessly inside one such net. It was later freed by the reporter. When the site was revisited on Monday, another bulbul was found bloodied and trapped in the same net and was also released. Residents said most trapped birds are usually taken away by farmers. Dead birds are removed quickly, which is why carcasses are rarely seen hanging in the nets despite daily incidents.

Farmers show little concern about the deaths. They insist birds are the main threat to their crops and justify the traps as a necessary defense. One field owner, farmer Md Mahabbat, said birds were his biggest enemy. Shortly after installing the net, a drongo became trapped. He refused to release it, leaving it hanging to scare other birds away.

The drongo died last Friday but was still seen caught in the net on Monday. Several bulbuls were also found trapped in his field. Asked why he did not free them, Mahabbat said, “The more bulbuls die, the fewer enemies my crops will have.”

Residents say the impact is severe. Local man Md Mainuddin said he once saw seven to eight bulbuls trapped at the same time and released them himself. He also described a dove that died after getting caught near a jujube tree where it had laid eggs, which are still visible. Other animals, such as monitor lizards and mongooses, are also being caught in the nets.

The area is home year-round to doves, mynas, weaver birds, magpies, robins, bulbuls, kingfishers, woodpeckers, herons and kites, residents said. Seasonal visitors include parrots, green pigeons, nightjars, hoopoes, Indian robins and kalim birds. Conservationists warn that the widespread use of nets on farmland now threatens this diversity.

Bangladesh Birds Club member Tarek Anu said farmers are mistakenly labeling beneficial birds as pests. “Farmers are wrongly treating useful birds as enemies. Even if birds eat a small amount of crops, their overall contribution is far greater. Farmers must be made aware of alternatives to nets,” he said.

Sandwip agriculture officer Maruf Hossain said his office had already objected to the use of poison to deter birds and would now also advise farmers to avoid nylon nets. He suggested non-lethal methods such as guarding fields, hanging bells or metal drums to create noise and scare birds away.

The report was originally published by Prothom Alo, Bangladesh’s leading Bengali-language daily newspaper.