Attractiveness of brown rice baits to non-target birds in harvested corn and soybean fields

Brown rice is used as a bait-carrier for the avicide DRC-1339 (3-chloro-4-methylaniline) when baiting blackbirds (Icteridae). In March and April 1996 and 1997, we assessed non-target granivorous bird use of rice-baited plots placed in harvested corn and soybean fields in eastern South Dakota for 168 observation hours. In both years combined, we identified 10 and 14 granivorous species in corn and soybean fields, respectively. In 1996 (X = 0.2, SE = 0.04) and 1997 (X = 1.2, SE = 0.38), total numbers of granivores min(-1) were similar between crops (P > or = 0.322). In 1996, bird numbers were higher (P = 0.069) in rice-baited fields (X = 0.3, SE = 0.07) than in unbaited reference fields (X = 0.1, SE = 0.04). In 1997, bird numbers (X = 1.2, SE = 0.38) did not differ between treatments (P = 0.456). Our data show that small numbers of non-target birds visited the rice-baited plots. However, total number of different individual birds using the plots was unknown.