HYDERABAD, AUGUST
26, 2018 22:35 IST
UPDATED: AUGUST
27, 2018 12:50 IST
Researchers
find four species of birds, considered depredatory, feeding on sorghum and
sunflower
Human
activity is increasingly tipping the ecological balance against birds, turning
them to pests, suggests recently-published observations by a group of
researchers.
Researchers
from Prof. Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University observed unusual feeding of four species of
birds on sorghum and sunflower when testing acoustic equipment to keep birds
away.
“Unusual
instance of Red-breasted Parakeet in Hyderabad feeding on sorghum was observed.
Similarly, unusual instances of Great Tits, Indian Peafowl and Large Grey
Babbler were observed to feed on sunflower heads,” said researchers in an
article published in the journal of Entomology, Ornithology and
Herpetology.
They
explained it was unusual because these four species are not on the list of 18
species, considered depredatory, known to feed on sorghum or sunflower.
“These
birds feeding on sunflower and sorghum indicate that their natural sources of
food are not easily available. Parakeets, for instance, are fruit-eaters.
Without fruit trees around, they are bound to turn to crop,” said V. Vasudeva
Rao, who heads a project on vertebrate pest management at the agricultural
university.
Dr. Rao
and his team made the observations between 2013 and 2015 at five locations,
including three in Hyderabad.
“Birds
like Peafowls and Babblers prefer sunflower seeds as a major diet and food
source expansion. This is mainly due to unsustainable levels of exploitation,
non-availability of preferred food, habitat destruction and less predatory
pressure, increasing new depredatory bird population and diminishing dependency on
alternative food resources,” the researchers concluded.
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