Pest birds

Towards national best practice strategies for bird pests of horticulture

This project is building on the outcomes of previous Natural Heritage Trust (NHT)-supported work by establishing a national approach to the management of bird pest problems in horticulture.
Project product:Bird Damage Survey
Publication: Managing bird damage to fruit and other horticultural crops

Efficacy of existing techniques to manage pest birds of agriculture

This project will evaluate the efficacy of lethal (shooting, trapping) and non-lethal (netting) methods to reduce pest bird damage. The national best practice bird management guidelines will also be updated.

A feasibility study of an avicide for the control of starlings in Australia

Starlings are becoming an increasing problem for Australia’s horticulture, wine and feedlot industries. There is also a need to prevent them from spreading into new areas such as WA. Effective control of starlings and damage prevention is hampered by the lack of low-cost control techniques. This project will assess the suitability of ‘starlicide’, widely used for starling control in the USA, for Australian situations.
Pestat website: A feasibility study of DRC-1339/starlicide as an avicide in Australia

Bird damage to the wine grape industry in the Central Ranges of NSW

This project reviewed pest bird ecology and management techniques with particular emphasis on starling damage to wine grapes and provide an impetus for further development of management strategies. This project is timely given the current rapid growth in viticulture and other forms of horticulture throughout Australia resulting in increasing conflict with introduced and native birds.
Project report: Bird damage to the wine grape industry

Bird control and damage: understanding the relationship

The value of Australia's wine industry is around $5 billion. Birds, particularly starlings, have a major impact on wine grape production and are a constant source of frustration for growers due to a lack of effective and economic control techniques. This project determined patterns in starling movements and activity and considered ways in which habitat can be manipulated to reduce starling impact.
Project product: Bird management plan outline