Birds of Rice Fields in the Americas

Effects of Landscape Features on Waterbird Use of Rice Fields

“…For example, rice fields in the southern USA, south-central South America, southern Europe, parts of Asia and elsewhere receive heavy use by migrating waterbirds (e.g. Eadie et al 2008;Acosta et al 2010;Fujioka et al 2010;Longoni 2010;Sundar and Subramanya 2010). In the rice-growing region of southwestern Louisiana 106 waterbird species have been documented, although this number is likely augmented by the additional effects of crawfish agriculture (Huner et al 2002), and in California over 140 bird species have been seen in rice fields (Eadie et al 2008).…”

Changing Landscapes and Declining Populations of Resident Waterbirds: A 12-Year Study in Bung Boraphet Wetland, Thailand

“…For instance, low concentrations of dissolved oxygen may affect waterbird species that use lake resources for foraging such as fish-eaters (Sulai et al, 2015), whereas similar changes may not affect species that use waterbodies solely as daytime roosts such as ducks. Some landscapes such as paddy fields may cause an increase in waterbird species that prefer shallow water for foraging (Acosta et al, 2010), but they are not a preferred habitat for the larger and more sensitive waterbird species like Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus (Sundar, 2006).…”

Avian Resources of the Northern Gulf of Mexico

“…Other managed coastal habitats in the Gulf, such as rice fields, are used by wintering waterfowl (Day and Colwell 1998;Link et al 2011) and wading birds (Acosta et al 1996(Acosta et al , 2010. In Cuba, White Ibis, as well as other wading birds, concentrated in rice fields because they provided an abundance of fish, crabs, and aquatic insects (Acosta et al 1996).…”