Beijing, Aug. 2 (PTI): Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is preparing to raise three "squadrons" of migratory starlings from India and Sri Lanka in artificial nests to create an "air force" to combat the severe locust plague.

The starlings would protect the north side of the Tianshan Mountains, the Yili River valley and the northwest part of the Junggar Basin, which were prone to locust attacks, Director of the office of Xinjiang headquarters of locust and mouse control, Mu Chen said.

Damage to pasture area would fall by 70 per cent if the starling "squadrons" formed, saving 30 million yuan (3.97 million U.S. dollars) in the first year, Xinhua news agency quoted a locust-control expert with the Xinjiang department of animal husbandry, Li Jun as saying.

Xinjiang is one of the regions that suffer most from locusts in China, with over 7.41 acres of pasture plagued every year.