Title: The Challenge Of Pest Bird's Devastation In Rice Farming: Mechanisms And Solutions - A Critical Review
Authors: Gabriel Ebiowei Moses, David Ebregbe, Sopreye Egberipou
Volume: 10
Issue: 1
Pages: 162-173
Publication Date: 2026/01/28
Abstract:
Pest bird depredation remains one of the most persistent and economically damaging constraints in global rice production, particularly across Africa, Asia, and the Americas. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the mechanisms, ecological drivers, and management strategies associated with avian damage in rice systems. Pest birds, including Quelea species, weavers, sparrows, and munias, inflict losses from crop establishment through grain maturation, primarily through seed predation, panicle stripping, and squeezing of milky grains. Vulnerability is heightened during the reproductive stage, where losses often reach catastrophic levels. Environmental and agronomic factors-such as proximity to roosting sites, seasonal scarcity of wild seeds, weed infestation, and asynchronous cropping-further intensify depredation risk. The review critically evaluates existing control measures, spanning cultural practices, physical exclusion, chemical repellents, and emerging ecological and integrated pest management (IPM) approaches. While traditional scaring and repellent-based strategies offer limited, often temporary relief due to bird habituation, sustained solutions emerge from synchronized planting, strict weed control, crop-landscape management, and the integration of dynamic deterrent technologies. Future directions emphasize breeding bird-resistant rice varieties, developing non-toxic repellent systems, and deploying intelligent, AI-driven scaring technologies capable of adaptive deterrence. Collectively, these insights underscore the need for holistic, sustainable, and ecologically sound strategies to safeguard rice yields and strengthen global food security.