Disaccharide Intolerance Of European Starlings

Authors

Leonard R. Askham, Washington State University

Date of this Version

1996

Document Type

Article

Citation

Published in Proceedings: Seventeenth Vertebrate Pest Conference … 1996, ed. Robert M. Timm & A. Charles Crabb (University of California, Davis, 1996).

Comments

Copyright © 1996 (where applicable) by the Vertebrate Pest Council of the Vertebrate Pest Conference. Used by permission.

Abstract

The use of disaccharides to discourage bird depredation to agricultural crops has elicited some interest during the last few years. Data developed in these trials indicate that several avian species are intolerant to sucrose because of the lack of sucrase enzymes in their digestive systems. Based on this research it is hypothesized that progressively increasing rates and volumes of solutions would elicit consistent adverse stress reactions. Furthermore, that if birds were intolerant to sucrose, because of their co-evolutionary development with plants, then they should lack the ability to digest lactose. The data developed in these trials does not support either hypothesis. A maximum of 60% of the birds tested showed stress symptoms to 0.75 M sucrose (6.26 mg/Kg body wt.) and 1.00 M lactose solutions (9.15 mg/Kg body wt.) when the birds were subjected to 2 cc treatments. Less than 40% were stressed by the lower concentrations. No adverse reactions were noted with 1 cc concentrations of either solutions or rates. Treating fruit with sucrose did not appear to affect the results until 1.00 M (3.83 mg/Kg) sucrose solutions were applied. No adverse results were obtained with lactose treated fruit.