Experimental method to investigate and monitor bird behavior and damage in vineyards.

摘要

A method for examining foraging decisions by birds damaging grapes in vineyards was developed using a bird-feeder table, time-lapse video, and artificial foods. Behavioural responses of blackbirds (Turdus merula) and silvereyes (Zosterops lateralis) to the experimental situation and in a natural vineyard setting in Canterbury, New Zealand, were compared. The two species behaved in a similar way in the artificial and natural situations, indicating that the experimental method used is a valid and useful tool to investigate bird decision-making mechanisms with natural grapes.