The barn owl Tyto alba has been in decline throughout much of its range largely as a consequence of loss of foraging habitat resulting from
agricultural intensification. The recent introduction of agri-environment schemes in the UK has resulted in the reinstatement of substantial
areas of rough grassland which may be of benefit to small mammals and their avian predators. In this study mature grasslands provided by
agri-environmental schemes (farm woodlands, permanent set-aside, 2 and 6 m field margins) were compared to better understand which hold
the greatest prey numbers and how new areas of grassland targeted at barn owl conservation should be created and managed. In all habitats
apart from farm woodlands, small mammal numbers were positively associated with taller swards. This study suggests that areas cut every 2 or
3 years supported more individuals and species than areas cut annually, although this trend was only significant for common shrews.With the
introduction of the new Environmental Stewardship scheme in 2005, our results suggest that the area of suitable foraging habitat for barn owls
is likely to increase