Effect of Some Common Bird Species on Yield of Fruit and Berry Crops in the Michurinskiy Garden of the Russian State Agrarian University – Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy

The article presents the data on the place and role of some common bird species in biological damage of the Michurinskiy Garden of the Russian State Agrarian University – Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy. The nature and extent of biological damage to fruit and berry crops caused by gray crows, Eurasian rooks, fieldfares, common starlings, house sparrows and tree sparrows, and roody sheld ducks are given. In the post-breeding period gray crows come to the garden in large flocks. A grey crow pecks and eats an average of 400-600 g of fruit a day (mostly pears and apples). Rooks gather in flocks in the garden during the autumn migration and peck nuts and pears. A rook destroys about 15 nuts a day. Fieldfares and starlings with their pulli attack berry plants (shadberry, grape, red and black cherry), damaging an average of 10.5% of the crop. Tree and house sparrows eat berries (9.5% of the crop on average) and actively feed on tree buds in spring. The article also provides data on some repellent means used to prevent and reduce biological damage caused by birds: acoustic, visual and dynamic repellents, reflective and noise tapes. The purpose of the research was to identify the main damage to fruit and berry crops caused by common bird species in the Michurinskiy Garden. The spatial distribution of birds in the orchard was studied in 2021-2023 according to generally accepted methods in ornithology with subsequent statistical processing. According to the results of the research, the damage to fruit and berry crops by such common bird species as gray crows, Eurasian rooks, fieldfares, starlings, house sparrows and tree sparrows was established. The results of the research show the real damage caused to fruit and berry crops by common bird species, especially gray crows.

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