DEPREDATORY BIRDS AND THEIR ECOFRIENDLY MANAGEMENT IN APPLE ORCHARDS OF HIMACHAL PRADESH, INDIA

Birds species recorded in order of abundance in three agro-climatic zones of Himachal Pradesh were Pycnonotus leucogenys, Psittacula cynocephala, Psittacula eupatria, Pycnonotus cafer, Megalaima virens and Cissa erythrorhyncha in sub temperate mid hills lying below 1500 m amsl, Psittacula himalayana, Megalaima virens, Pycnonotus leucogenys, Cissa erythrorhyncha and Garrulax lineatus in wet temperate high hills lying above 1500 m amsl and Corvus macrorhynchos and Picus squamatus in dry temperate high hills of trans – himalayan region in district Kinnaur.
There was 15% damage in Red Gold in lower areas.
The Golden Delicious variety suffered 27.01% and Red Gold 11.08% damage in upper areas and 15.18% in Golden Delicious in the trans- himalayan region of district Kinnaur.
The installation of bird scaring ribbons, an ecofriendly management method, was observed to significantly reduce the birds’ damage.
Use of distress calls of birds (Bio- acoustic methods) caused confusion among the depredatory birds and kept them away from the area.

VII International Symposium on Temperate Zone Fruits in the Tropics and Subtropics – Part Two

R.S. Rana, M.L. Narang, S.K. Patyal

apple, bird damage, reflective ribbons, bioacoustic method

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2005.696.80