BIRDS AND FOOD PRODUCTION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3510, 21 June 1921, Page 10

BIRDS AND FOOD PRODUCTION.

Some time ago, a committee xvas appointed by the British Association for tne advancement of science to investigate which birds are harmful and which beneficial (from tlje agriculturist’s point of view. The investigations did not extend to the sparrow, persumabiy because there is no doubt as to its character. Its voracious appetite is well known, avid its bad habit of migrating from town to the fields during harvest time, where he grows fat at the expense of the farmer. Ine starling at one time had quite a good character, but has been led astray of late years. If not too abundant, they may be considered good friends of the agriculturist, but at the present time, owing to their great increase in numbers m some

countries, are much in the nature of a. plague among cereal and fruit crops. W e ha.ve seen starlings in the Dominion give their best attention to pears and apples, and it may happen that owing to Alien- migrating habits that much damage may bg done ere it is generally realised. As has been frequently pointed out, the starring is most variable in its movements, even from the time of leaving the nest! Its habit of moving about in flocks during the spring and autumn months constitutes a grave danger; while later the habit of collecting at special roosts frecause much damage to otmg fir plantations and shrubberies. It ° has been_ alleged against these birds that as the increase annually is very large, that a gradual change has taken‘place in the nature of their food. There is reasonable evidence to show, says W. E. Collinge, F.L.S., in the English Journal of Agriculture, that in tile past the bulk o. the food consumed by these birds consisted of insects and ‘insect larva;, slugs, snails, earthworms, millipedes, wee.l, seeds, and wild fruits ; in more recent years this has been supplemented ay cereals and cultivated fruits and roots, j Some writers have affirmed that once the fruit-eating habit is acquired they refuse tne other available food. It is not easy to realise the extent of the damage done by these birds in the Homeland. During the past two years, says one authority, many farms were visited in order to estimate the damage caused to newly sown cereals. In some cases as mucli as 30 per cent, of the seed was eaten. The j loss uue to re-sowing where possible, is very great if the high cost of labour is taken into consideration, but where this is not possible it is a direct and enormous loss to the cultivator and to the nation. Again, in fruit growing districts tne depreciations of this bird become more marked annually, cherries, straw- ; berries, currants, plums of all kinds, and, I more recently, apples and pears suffer’ | One grower states; “Only one bird is dangerous to my crops—that is the stari hng. He threatens the utter destruction iof our strawberry, raspberry, cherry, I gooseberry, currant, and some other j crops. These birds are said to come here I from the marshes as soon as the young are j patched, and they come in millions | m flocks that darken the sky.” Another grower writes; “During recent years this bird has increased" to such an" alarming extent as to be a. plague. They come in flocks of tens of thousands, and whilst heie commit an enormous amount of damage which must far outweigh any benefits they confer. Each rear they seem to grow more plentiful. ' I am in favour of a very drastic reduction for some time to _ come.” It would seem troni the _ writer’s inquiries that the starling is doing wholly beneficial york for a period of about three months say, September, October, and November: for another three months it is partly beneficial, and for the remaining six months it is harmful. That is a pretty severe condemnation of the starling when present in over many numbers A point m the starling’s favour is the nature of the food brought to the nest bv the parent birds during the nesting season, n period covering about three weeks, ihe number of injurious insects eaten then by the nestlings must be enormous, besides there is every reason to suppose tnat during this period the parent birds also tun-take of a similar diet. It would be interesting to learn whether the starling is generally viewed in the Dominion as a friend or foe of the farmer. In the Homeland the unprejudiced mind can oorne to one conclusion only—viz., that the starling has long since risen above the high water mark of abundance,” and in consequence is doing more harm than good. In other words there are too many specimens of one species requiring the same kind of food within a limited area, and as the late Professor Beal pointed out, this is the cause in nearly all cases where a bird becomes injurious. If further evidence were needed against the starling it is supplied by its activities in Australia.. When first introduced there it was regarded generally as one of the

most beneficial birds to the agriculturist and fruit grower (so, too in New Zealand), but with its rapid increase a marked change took place in its food habits. In 1905 Mr C. French, the Victorian Government entomologist, wrote: ‘‘There can be no doubt about the starling being a most pernicious enemy to the fruit grower and viticulturist in this State. The starlings are increasing a thousand times faster than their natural food, hence .they must avail themselves of such as is obtainable. Once driven to this, an appetite is acquired, and fruit diet being easily obtained, they will not seek any other, even if available. It is pleasing to note that the Shire Councils are offering a bonus for starlings’ heads and eggs. . . . Valuable insect-eating birds such as kingfishers, diamond birds, tree creepers, and tree swallows are being driven out of their nesting -places in tree hollows by swarms of starlings, and before long these insectivorous birds, useful to the farmer and orcha-rdist, will be driven out of the State.” The starling problem perhaps has not yet been raised in the Dominion, but assuredly it will come, and the question _ arises: How are they to be kept within reasonable limits?