Australian research on bird pests: impact, management and future directions

Abstract

Research on bird problems in Australia has focussed mainly on damage caused to fruit, cereal and oilseed grain crops. There has also been some research on damage to plantation trees and aquaculture, risks posed by birds to aircraft, the role of sea birds taking longline fish baits, and the role of exotic birds as environmental pests. Much research on damage control has focussed on habitat manipulation to reduce the attractiveness of crops to birds or to make alternative food sources more attractive, although there has been little adoption of these approaches by growers. Habitat manipulation has been more successful at airports. Exclusion netting has been found to be highly effective and the best approach for orchards, vineyards and fish farms where it is economically beneficial. Most evaluations of scaring and population reduction approaches have concluded that they are usually not effective. Modifying longline fishing practices can reduce the rate of albatrosses taking baits, but such approaches have yet to be widely adopted. Risk assessment and risk management approaches have been developed for the import and keeping of exotic birds.