Wild Bird Survey and Damage Estimation for Some Field Crops at Giza Governorate, Egypt حصر أنواع الطیورالبریة وتقدیر أضرارها لبعض المحاصیل فی محافظة الجیزة - مصر

Abstract

About 470 bird species known from Egypt. The majority are non-breeding migrants, passing through the country, exploiting the wide range of habitat types unique for their life, including agricultural habitats. A survey of wild bird carried out in three agricultural districts, El-Badrasheen, El-Aayyat and El-Hawamdiah districts, in Giza Governorate, from March 2018 to February 2020, using the point transect method. Twenty-eight species belonging to nine orders and twenty-five families recorded. House sparrow (passer domesticus niloticus) and Hooded Crow (xuvroc suvurc suvroC) were the only recorded noxious species, damaging wheat and corn crops. House sparrow damage to wheat start after the first week of the panicles emergence causing 21.4 % and 19 % losses, with the highest loss rate of 5.7 and 6.1% during 1 st of April at El-Badrasheen and El-Aayyat districts, respectively. The damage percent were 16.3 and 14.5% to corn by hooded crow in both districts from the 1 st week of August up to the 2 nd week of September and the highest loss rate were 5.4 and 4.2% during the 4 th week of August in the two districts, respectively. It is advisable to apply damage control programs against house sparrow populations at the beginning of February in wheat fields, and against hooded crow populations at the beginning of June in corn fields in these areas.