Choi Green, Do Min Seock, Son Seok-Jun, Nam Hyung-Kyu
Green Together Institute, Seocheon, 33646, Republic of Korea.
National Institute of Biological Resources, Seo-gu, Incheon, 22689, Republic of Korea.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jan 2;15(1):341. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-83519-9.
Rice fields are important wildlife habitats; however, intensive agricultural practices have reduced the population of farmland birds. As a high-level consumer, the great egret (Ardea alba) serves as an indicator of the overall biodiversity of rice fields. However, little is known about the effects of farming methods on the feeding habitat selection of the great egret. Therefore, we examined the influence of eco-friendly and conventional farming methods on prey characteristics and great egret feeding behavior in rice field ecosystems. We employed focal observations and trap-based sampling to quantify prey characteristics and great egret feeding behaviors in eco-friendly and conventional rice fields. Great egrets showed more hunting attempts per minute and a higher intake rate in conventional fields, but feeding efficiency did not differ. Moreover, they consumed larger loaches in eco-friendly fields than in conventional fields. Great egrets exhibited slower feeding behaviors in eco-friendly fields due to the increased handling time of larger prey, such as loaches. Eco-friendly fields supported a higher abundance of larger-sized loaches than conventional fields, indicating their potential for supporting a higher abundance of great egrets. Our findings highlight the importance of sustainable farming practices for the conservation of the great egret.
稻田是重要的野生动物栖息地；然而，集约化农业实践减少了农田鸟类的数量。大白鹭（Ardea alba）作为高级消费者，是稻田整体生物多样性的指标。然而，关于耕作方式对大白鹭觅食栖息地选择的影响，人们知之甚少。因此，我们研究了生态友好型和传统耕作方式对稻田生态系统中猎物特征和大白鹭觅食行为的影响。我们采用焦点观察和基于陷阱的采样方法，对生态友好型和传统稻田中的猎物特征和大白鹭觅食行为进行量化。大白鹭在传统稻田中每分钟的狩猎尝试次数更多，摄入率更高，但取食效率没有差异。此外，它们在生态友好型稻田中比在传统稻田中消耗的泥鳅更大。由于处理较大猎物（如泥鳅）的时间增加，大白鹭在生态友好型稻田中的觅食行为较慢。生态友好型稻田比传统稻田拥有更丰富的大型泥鳅，这表明它们有潜力支持更多数量的大白鹭。我们的研究结果凸显了可持续农业实践对保护大白鹭的重要性。
