Birds Associated with Paddy Fields in Ratanagiri, Maharashtra

Rice, Oryza sativa L is an important staple crop of India as well as of Konkan region. This important crop is highly infested by insect-pests. Use of bio-control agents in paddy field is considered as one of the alternatives to overcome the hazardous effect of chemical pesticides for the control of insect pests. Birds are one of these bio-control agents. In the bird association study, 71 identified bird species from 31 families were observed in paddy fields. Out of these, 21 were omnivorous, 21 insectivorous, 12 granivorous, 15 carnivorous, and 2 nectarivorous. Thirty six bird species were categorized to be beneficial i.e. (21 insectivorous and 15 carnivorous). Majority of insectivorous species belonged to families Muscicapidae, Hirundinidae and Motacillidae. Carnivorous species belonged to families Muscicapidae and Accipitridae.