The grain-eating birds of Sub-Saharan Africa: Identification, biology and management

Birds are not normally viewed as pests but, in the case of cereals and soft fruit, both resident and migrant species can cause significant losses. In sub-Saharan Africa, the expansion of the area under cereal crops, especially in displacing the normal food plants of the grain-eating birds, has exacerbated the problem and rendered ineffective many traditional me.t_hods of crop protection. Environmental considerations mean that management strategies must now be tackled at the government and community level, rather than solely by the individual farmer. Grain-eating Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa provides the background information needed for an understanding of the birds which cause the damage, their identification, biology and feeding habits. It also presents the variety of techniques necessary to assess the likelihood and extent of crop damage from season to season and so facilitate the choice of cost-effective methods and levels of control. Intended as a comprehensive reference for policy makers and extensionists, this handbook will also be useful to all public and private sector management staff who are involved in loss assessment and the implementation of control methods in cereal production