Birds Management

Mangement of birds in the crop fields

1. 1 WELCOME

2. Presented by: Ch.Naga Satyasri BAM-14-28 2 BIRD MANAGEMENT

3. What are Birds? Warm blooded animals – body covered with feather – which can fly, swim and walk – lay eggs – shows parental care They evolved from dinosaurs millions of years ago The first bird is called as Archaeopteryx 3

4. BIRD PESTS Birds causing a little damage to the crops are now viewed seriously, and they often recognized as “PESTS”. Favourable conditions: Bringing more of the land area under cultivation. Abundant food availability. These conditions enables, some granivorous and frugivorous birds to harvest energy and produce offspring more efficiently in agricultural than in natural habitats. 4

5. Diversity of the Birds There are about 8,6oo species of birds found all over the world Of them 1400 species found in South Asia 1295 found in India 485 + found in Andhra Pradesh 143 species were feeding on seeds and fruits Only 2.1% reorted to inflict serious damage to crops. 5

6. A total of 63 species of birds belonging to 19 families have been identified to damaging several crops. Among the 46 species of beneficial birds, which devored insects and rodent pests, all fed on insects while six of them also consumed on rodents. Fifteen species of the beneficial species are omnivorous. Omnivorous birds have a dual role in our agro-ecosystem. 6

7. Number of bird species that affected various crops 7 52

8. Type of Damage by birds Crops are being damaged by birds at sowing, ripening and harvesting stages. After crop harvest, bird damage continues at grain stores, shelling yards and market places. At the sprouting stage-some times this damage is so severe that farmers have to re sow the affected fields. The re sown crop may mature later than the those sown at the normal time and suffer relating more bird damage at the ripening stage. 8

9. Negative impact of birds on agricultural crops vary from region to region, season to season. Its depending on number of factors Number of depredatory species and their density. Area under crop Ecology of the area Concentration of migrants Food habits as well as the physiological status of birds. 9

10. W hen birds have eaten seeds or pulled out seedlings they are taken away from the field. Fruits injured by birds lose marketability. Thus once attack of a bird to a seed or a fruit produces 100%loss of it. Cereals more vulnerable to bird attack especially at dough stage. Damage to the crops of smaller grains such as pearl millet and sorghum was more serious as compared to that in large size grains ( e.g.maize ) 10

11. Small cereal grains preferred by both smaller and larger birds, where as maize was depredated primarily by larger species such as parakeets and crows. Isolated fields are always prone to bird damage, Early and late maturing fields were highly susceptible. Hence or the even distribution of birds damage, synchronization of crop cultivation is advocated. 11

12. Crop/Fruit Stage of damage Bird Extent of loss (%) Groundnut Ripening Crows 24 Maize Sprouting Crows, Doves, Babblers 20 Mustard Ripening Parakeets, Crows 63 Pearl millets Ripening Sparrows, Parakeets, Weaverbirds 10-100 Peas Ripening Pigeons 54 Pulses Sprouting Doves, Pigeons, Parakeets, Sparrows 66 Rice Sprouting Weaverbirds, Sparrows 41 Ripening Sparrows, Weaverbirds, Munias, Parakeets, Saras cranes 26 Sorghum Ripening Pegions, Doves 12-85 Sunflower Sprouting Crows 65 Ripening Crows , parakeets 22 Wheat Sprouting Crows 17-20 Bird damage to crops and fruits . 12

13. Pearl millet A total of 24 depredatory species were recorded in pearl millet crop. Rose ringed parakeet, Rosy pastor, House sparrow, Baya damaged the crop in Northwestern India. Estimation of bird damage varied highly in different states. Highest in Gujarat (0.3 to 40%) Andhra pradesh (1.5 to 9%) Punjab (45%) and Delhi (60%) during kharif season 13

14. White-cheeked Bulbul ( Pycnonotus leucogenys ) Feed on the Pearl millet crop in large numbers in the arid and semi-arid zones. 14

15. Wheat Bird damage to wheat varied from 0.2 to 41% in different parts of the country. Damage was significantly high in Rajasthan. About 13 species of birds damaged standing wheat. 15

16. Paddy Paddy crop was prone to heavy damage by birds under congenial conditions. Damage to paddy was highest in Punjab (0.1 to 6.5%), Kerala (1.5 to 6%), Andhra pradesh (1.5 to 3%) and Gujarat (0.1 to 1%). Thirty –nine species of birds fed on the grains of standing crop in Gujarat. 16

17. Sorghum Bird damage to sorghum was highest in Rajasthan (2.3 to 48%) and Andhra pradesh (1.5 to 3%), Gujarat (0.4 to 18.6%). It is one of the preferred crops by the granivorous birds. Total 26 species were recorded feeding on sorghum. 17

18. Maize Bird damage to maize was relatively less in Gujarat (0.3 to 9.1%) as compared to Punjab (3.3 to 7.5%), Andhra pradesh (3 to 9.1 %) and Rajasthan (0 to 20%). Ten species of birds were recommended to feed on maize, of which the Rose ringed parakeet was important in all the states. 18

19. Sunflower Rose ringed parakeet and House crow were the predominant depredators and caused 10 to 30% damage in Andhra pradesh and 40 to 90% damage in Rajasthan. In Punjab the mean percentage of damage is 5.7 to 29% . Only because of the bird problem, the crop could not be introduced in Gujarat state. 19

20. Groundnut During sowing to sprouting stage, 3 to 33%damage was done by ten species of birds in Saurashtra region of Gujarat. The migratory Demoiselle cranes caused damage up to 10% at the time of harvesting. 20

21. safflower Rose ringed parakeet was the only species feeding mainly on the peripheral plants of the crop. The damage was negligible in Andhra pradesh and Gujarat. 21

22. Rose-ringed Parakeet ( Psittacula krameri ) Habits: A very adaptable species often associated with cultivation. Causes severe damage to the Maize crop. Feeds on: Pearl millet, Wheat, Paddy, Maize, Sorghum, Sunflower, Safflower 22

23. Rosy Pastor ( Sturnus roseus ) Habit:- Gregarious, form huge flocks at rich feeding sources. Causes damage to pearl millet, sorghum Habitat:- Cultivation , damp grass land Food:- Insects , etc 23

24. House Sparrow ( Passer domesticus ) Causes damage to pearl millet, paddy, sunflower It also feeds on green leafy vegetables. Food:- Omnivores,grains , insects,fruits , buds etc 24

25. House Crow ( Corvus splendens ) Habitat: Closely associated with human activity. Damage wheat, cobs of maize, jowar , groundnut, ripe fruits of fig, mulberry and chillies . Food:- Omnivorous and also useful scavenger. 25

26. Baya Weaver ( Ploceus philippinus ) Habitat: Cultivation , Paddy fields , pearl millet, Food:- Insects,grains,etc 26

27. Eurasian Collared Dove ( Streptopelia decaocto ) Habits: Often congregates in flocks where food is abundant Damaging the wheat fields Food: Seeds,Cereals etc 27

28. Blue Rock Pigeon ( Columba livia ) Habits: Lives in colonies all year Feeds on Cereals,pulses,nuts etc 28

29. Ruff and Reeve ( Philomachus pugnax ) Damage the wheat fields Damage by these birds reported first time in coastal areas of Gujarat when the crop is at sowing and seedling stage. Food: Seeds, annelids, molluscs , crustaceans, spiders, insects, fish and amphibians 29

30. Black-tailed Godwit ( Limosa limosa ) Habits: Feeds mainly by walking slowly Damage the wheat fields Damage by these birds reported first time in coastal areas of Gujarat when the crop is at sowing and seedling stage. Food: Aquatic insects larvae,worms , molluscs etc. 30

31. Lesser Whistling Teal ( Dendrocygna javanica ) Habits: Roosts in the daytime in trees Habitat: grass land and paddy fields Damaged paddy crop in Kole area of Kerala. Food: Chiefly vegetarian; 31

32. Demoiselle Crane ( Anthropoides virgo ) Habits: Highly Gregarious Damage Wheat and Groundnut crops Heavily damaged wheat fields in Bhal area of Gujarat. The migratory Demoiselle cranes caused damage up to 10% at the time of harvesting of groundnut crop. Food:- Insects, aquatic insects 32

33. Short – toed lark (Calandrella cinerea) Habit: Similar to those of other larks Damaged wheat fields heavily in Bhal area of Gujarat. Food: Insects,etc 33

34. Pied Myna or Asian pied starling Granivorous bird feeds mainly on sorghum Food: Food:- Insects,figs , etc 34

35. 35 BENEFICIAL BIRDS

36. Evaluation of beneficial role of birds Although it is well known that insectivorous and predatory birds play a very useful role in controlling insect and rodent pests of crops, only a few attempts have been made to evaluate this role and these too only in case of insectivorous birds. Our knowledge on the impact of predatory birds on rodent populations in India is practically nil. 36

37. Patel et al (1987) found that house sparrow, common myna , red-vented bulbul, Pycnonotus cafer and three other bird species in addition to wasps play important role in reducing Catopsilla sp. larvae in a medicinal crop, Cassia angustifolia . Several species of insectivorous birds have been found to feed on insect pests of crops including Helicoverpa armigera ( Chakravarthy 1988; Parasharya et al 1988; Singh et al 1990). In doing so, some of these species transmitt nuclear poly hedrosis virus infecting H. armigera to healthy larvae of this pest ( Vyas et al 1988). Bird predators of some other insect pests have also been found to play an important role in biological control of insect pests through disease transmission ( Battu 1987; Vyas et al 1988b), besides direct predation. 37

38. Stone curlew ( Burhinus oedicnemus ) Habitat: Fallow country,Preffered open fields,scrub forests,etc Food: Lizards,Insects,worms etc 38

39. Common Iora ( Aegithina tiphia ) Habits:- Arboreal, Seen in pairs or in small parties in gardens. Food:- Larvae,insects, etc 39

40. Oriental Magpie-Robin ( Copsychus saularis ) Habitat:- Mainly gardens and grooves in the villages Food:- Chiefly insects 40

41. Indian -Robin ( Saxicoloides fulicata ) Habits:- seen in pairs, stony scrub areas. Food:- Chiefly insectivorous 41

42. Black – winged stilt ( Himantopus himantopus ) Habits:- Seen regularly in winter Food:- Larvae,Aquatic insects,etc 42

43. Cattle Egret ( Bubulcus ibis ) Habits:- Gregarious, mostly associated with cattle Habitat:- Damp grass land, Paddy fields Food:- fishes, frogs, Insects, etc 43

44. Black-shouldered Kite ( Elanus caeruleus ) Habits:- Usually seen in cultivated areas with scattered trees or woodland glades. Food:- Insects 44

45. Pariah Kite ( Milvus migrans govinda ) Habits:- Gregarious throughout the year Habitat:- Around human habitation Food:- Garbage remains,termites,etc 45

46. 46 Red- wattled Lapwing ( vanellus indicus ) Habitats:- Any open flat ground near water Food:- Grubs,Insects , molluscs,etc

47. Barn Owl ( Tyto alba ) Habits:- Nocturnal bird seen singles or in pairs in old forts,ruins Food:- Rats,Mice , Lizards etc 47

48. Spotted Owlet ( Athene brama ) Habits:- It is crepuscular and nocturnal Food:- Chiefly insectivorous, also lizards 48

49. Green Bee-eater( Merops orientalis ) Habits:- Usually in pairs,seen in open country,Telegraphic wires in the city environs Habitats:- Open country with scattered trees Food:- Insectivourous,Mainly feeds on Diptera 49

50. Red rumped swallow ( Hirundo darica ) Habits:- Gregarious can be seen on telegraphic wire, etc Habitats:- Open grassy hill slopes Food:- Insectivorous 50

51. Bay-backed Shrike ( Lanius vittatus ) Habits:- singles , seen in dry open country. Food:- Locusts,mice 51

52. Black Drongo ( Dicrurus macrocercus ) Habits:- Open country,Usually perches on telegraph wires. Habitats:- Open cultivation Food:- Insectivorous 52

53. Bank Myna ( Acridotheres ginginianus ) Food:- Insects 53

54. 54 Bird management

55. 55

56. Indigenous Machan Flagged bamboos Scare crow on the Machan Use of white cloths

57. Artificial predatory birds Covering polythene sheet Throwing stones Hanging birds

58. Eco-friendly management of depredatory birds Wrapping method on maize crop Reflective ribbon for bird scaring Screen crop Lure crop Bio-acoustics Automatic mechanical bird scarer Botanical repellents Seed treatment for protecting sprouting seeds Integrated Bird Pest Management Habitat manipulation Netting 58

59. Lethal and non-lethal methods of control have been tried against different birds in different parts of India. Killing is considered to be the surest way of getting rid of harmful birds but public opinion has swayed against bird killing. In certain situations, however, farmers need to kill a few birds to scare others. Shooting involves a lot of labour, very costly and not easily available. Certain traps, however, can be easily constructed for catching crows and other birds. Fumigation of nest holes and nest destruction for population reduction is also very labour intensive, Some chemicals have been found to be efficient poison baits against pest birds. The killing of most of the bird species is illegal in India. 59

60. Non-lethal control measures call for special attention and research on them should be intensified. Studies have been conducted on chemical and physical bird repellents in germinating and maturing crops. Recently, a method involving camouflaging maize cobs has been discovered which protects ripening maize from rose-ringed parakeets ( Dhindsa et al 1990). Despite the above studies, the state of our knowledge on bird control is preliminary. In fact, this area is still developing even in the developed countries and there is a lot of scope for innovative work. 60

61. Covering maize cobs by wrapping adjacent green leaves around them reduced the damage to a negligible level by parakeets and crows. Being hidden camouflaged, the wrapped cobs escape detection by birds. Parakeet damage is restricted to peripheral rows, covering of 50% cobs at random on outer 3 rows of the field is sufficient to effectively reduce bird damage. This method is very simple and effective method . 61 Wrapping method on maize crop

62. Reflective ribbon is a polyester film with metallic shining coating with red on one side and silver on the other. It is prepared by cutting along continuous polyester sheet in to strips of 1.5 cm width. Strips preferably 15 to 20 cm long, are fixed parallel to the crop at 0.5 m height above the crop and at 5m intervals using bamboo poles and strings. For better reflection the string should be placed in North to south direction. 62 Reflective ribbon for bird scaring

63. During sunshine the reflection of sunlight and humming noise produced by the wind scares the birds from the field. This device is effective only for 15 to 20 days. This technique is very effective and easily acceptable to the farmers. Birds like rose ringed parakeet, house sparrow, house crow and mynas on the crops like sunflower, maize, sorghum, pearl millet, and orchards are scared by this device. Effective against Demoiselle cranes in groundnut and against depredatory birds in other cereals and fruit crops. 63

64. 64

65. Thick planting of sorghum (fodder crop) as well as of maize significantly reduced parakeet damage to maize crop grown for grain production. Besides giving better yield, this practice also provides additional fodder. 65 Screen crop

66. Growing of sorghum (fodder crop) near the pearl millet significantly reduced bird damage to the main crop-pearl millet. Against Rose ringed parakeet 66 Lure crop

67. The acoustic equipment consists of 1 stereo tape recorder with 30 w amplifier, 2 speakers and one 12 v battery. Distress calls of birds were pre-recorded in tape. The operation of the equipment should be done form a distance of about 100 meters and the speakers should kept in bushy spot near the field area. Depending on the intensity of bird activity, the frequency of play should be setup at regular time intervals. Broadcasting of such distress calls of depredatory birds kept the birds away from Maize fields and also other crops. This method is very effective on orchards and small acreage crops. 67 Bio-acoustics

68. 68

69. Also know as pyrotechnic method. It is a sound producing device, works continuously for a whole day with 1 kg of calcium carbide and water. One hectare areas can be covered with this method. Care must be taken about the frequency of firing and change of positions and directions to avoid bird getting habituated. 69 Automatic mechanical bird scarer

70. 70

71. Neem cake solution is prepared by soaking neem cake @ 200 or 300 g/lit. of water and kept for fermentation for 8-10 days. The fermented solution is than decanted and this solution is used as spray fluid. Neem cake solution @200 g/lit of water showed effective in controlling bird damage in maize. 71 Botanical repellents

72. Spraying of botanical formulation like BBR (Bio Bird Repellent)+ and Fortune Azar ( neem formulation) in the field reduced number of visiting birds and resulted in higher yield (714.25 kg/ha) compared to control (531.7 kg /ha) in Andhra Pradesh. Spraying of BBR+ (5%) and Fortune Azar (5%) in the fields of pearl millet reduced bird visits and significantly reduced bird damage in Gujarat. Tobacco leaf decoction (10%) spray on sorghum at milk stage reduced bird damage at Anand . In Punjab bird damage to sunflower on block area showed lesser damage. A minimum block size of 12 acres is required to reduce parakeet damage to 1% level. 72

73. Thiram 0.5% and copper hydroxide is very effective in reducing the seedling losses due to birds in maize, chickpea, soybean, sunflower and groundnut. 73 Seed treatment for protecting sprouting seeds

74. Integrated Bird Pest Management (IBPM) using reflective ribbons and botanicals in sorgum and wrapping in maize along with ribbon fields gave higher yield in Andhra pradesh . During vulnerable stage of the maize crop wrapping of cobs along with installation of reflective ribbons proved effective and controlled bird pests significantly and obtain higher yields. 74 Integrated Bird Pest Management

75. Creating continuous disturbances to the nesting sites of the depredatory breeding birds in around the cropped areas that the birds will force to leave breeding grounds and shift to another area. For parakeets in additional to manual destruction of nests, closing the entrance of the nests proved effective in reducing their populations. 75 Habitat manipulation

76. Planting of some fruit bearing trees like Manila tamarind ( Pithecalobium dulce ), Flame of the forest ( Butea monosperma ) Mulberry ( Morus alba ) and Toothbush tree ( Salvadora persica ) in and around cropped area attracts many granivorous birds during fruiting period and reduces the impact at vulnerable stage of the crop (maize). 76

77. 77

78. It is the best methods and gives complete protection to the crops. The nylon net having a mesh sufficiently prevent passage of even small granivorous birds. The method is recommended for high value trails (or) breeder seed experiments or multiplication trails. It is very expensive for large acreages plots. 78 Netting

79. 79

80. Agricultural regions in India have been experiencing heavy and indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides since many years and birds must have been contaminated with their residues, especially with those of chlorinated hydrocarbons. Birds of prey being at the top of the food chain are the most likely victims of pesticidal contamination. Mortality of these and other birds due to toxic chemicals and pathogenic organisms also needs to be looked into. 80 Threatens….

81. 81 Thank you