%0 Journal Article
%T Crop Depredation by Birds in Deccan Plateau, India
%A Manoj Ashokrao Kale
%A Nandkishor Dudhe
%A Raju Kasambe
%A Prosun Bhattacharya
%J International Journal of Biodiversity
%D 2014
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2014/947683
%X Extent of crop depredation in agricultural fields of groundnut, pearl millet, peas, sorghum and sunflower was assessed in Pune, Akola and Amravati, the three productive districts of Maharashtra, India. The study included interviews with the farmers, identification of the bird species responsible for the crop depredation and actual field assessment of damage. The problem of crop depredation is severe for the crops mostly during harvesting season. Most farmers were not satisfied with the conventional bird repelling techniques. A maximum depredation was observed by Sorghum crops by house sparrows Passer domesticus, baya weavers Ploceus philippinus, and rose-ringed parakeets Psittacula krameri, accounting to 52% of the total damage. Blue rock pigeons Columba livia damaged 42% of the peas crop (chick peas and pigeon peas), while house sparrows and baya weaver damaged the groundnut crop by 26% in the sampling plots. House sparrow Passer domesticus and baya weaver Ploceus philippinus damaged the groundnut crop in the sampling plots just after the sowing period. The sustainable solution for reducing crop depredation is a need for the farmers and also such techniques will help avoid direct or indirect effects of use of lethal bird control techniques on bird species. 1. Introduction Wide varieties of arable crops attract granivorous birds which lead to significant damage to the crop yields globally [1, 2]. However, there are few studies pertaining to the awareness of the problem among the farmers and the magnitude of crop damage caused by the birds in India [3]. The problem of crop damage by birds is faced by the farmers and the losses due to crop depredation by birds are significant in terms of the gross crop yield. Birds can inflict damage to the crops and a loss to the farmers in all the stages of crops right from sowing and planting till harvesting. In previous study conducted in India, it was found that the proportion of crop damage to sunflower crop depends on the proportion of foraging activity of the birds [4]. The food of the cropland species is of mostly three types which depend on grains, seeds, fruits, green vegetation of the crop plants and grasses, insects, other arthropods, and rodents found in the soil, crops, and other plants [5]. Most of the activities of birds are either advantageous or disadvantageous to the farmers. Birds create negative impact on most of the agricultural activities and some agricultural activities attract birds as special feeding opportunities [2]. The presence of insectivorous birds in croplands is beneficial to farmers up
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijbd/2014/947683/