ABSTRACT
The potential of insectivorous birds and other wild vertebrates as regulators of pest insect populations has long been recognized. Laws to protect beneficial birds were proposed as early as 1877 by the United States Entomological Commission. The common species of birds nesting in shortgrass habitat are known to be opportunistic facultative feeders with the ability to switch to alternate prey. This is a desirable characteristic for maintaining predator populations when the target prey density is low. The importance of birds as mortality factors in pest insect population dynamics remains largely unqualified. R. W. McFarlane reviewed the potential value of birds in agricultural Integrated Pest Management systems. He concluded that the effectiveness of birds in controlling insect pests was underestimated, that birds were especially important in regulating endemic insect populations, and that avian predation could be increased and made more effective with modification of agricultural practices.
