T-standpoint assists the waiting of predatory birds in lucerne

Ana-Marija Simunić,Vesna Gantner,Gordana Bukvić,Ivica Bošković,Ranko Gantner

doi:10.33765/thate.10.3.4

Abstract

Field rodents can cause considerable economic losses in perennial crops, especially lucerne. Predatory birds can provide biological control of field rodent populations. However, modern arable landscape usually provides few or no natural standpoints for predatory birds to wait for their prey. According to the old farmers in eastern Croatia, T-standpoints installed into lucerne were traditional implements assisting the bird predation over field rodents. Aim of this study was to check whether the T-standpoints really are appropriate installations for the predatory birds to wait for their prey on the ground or not. The research has confirmed that predatory birds (Buteo buteo and Falco tinnunculus) descended on the installed T-standpoints (in average 1.35 arrivals per day of observation), waited (average period of stay was 17 minutes in the morning and 34 minutes in the afternoon) and landed on the ground, most probably to catch the prey (in average 13 % of arrivals to T-standpoints ended with landing to the ground, likely for the prey attack). Small forest restoration in arable landscapes and less chemical rodent control would probably improve the predatory bird populations, thus enhancing the biological control of field rodents. There remains the need for further investigation of efficiency of field rodent control by predatory birds

Highlights

Lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) is one of the most important forage crops grown in the world
While recognized for its high yield and nutritive quality, it is prone to invasion of field rodents (Arvicola terrestris, Microtus arvalis, Mus musculus, Apodemus agrarius, Apodemus flavicollis [1]) which can cause considerable economic losses [2, 3] due to grazing lucerne herbage and biting its roots
During 2018, the highest number of arrivals to Tstandpoints and the highest number of landings were observed during September and October (Figure 2), when the highest population density of field rodents was expected along with low herbage cover of lucerne

Summary

Introduction

Lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) is one of the most important forage crops grown in the world. Since the predatory birds are natural enemies of field rodents, they are supposed to provide biological control of these pests to some extent in lucerne crops. The modern agricultural landscape of arable forage enterprises usually provides few or no natural standpoints for predatory birds to wait for their prey on the ground. Standpoints installed into lucerne fields were traditionally implemented to assist the bird predation over field rodents [4]. The aim of this study was to check whether the Tstandpoints really are appropriate installations to wait for the prey on the ground by predatory birds or not

Objectives

Results

Conclusion