Repelling sandhill cranes from corn: whole-kernel experiments with captive birds

Authors

Bradley F. Blackwell, USDA/APHIS/WS National Wildlife Research CenterFollow
David A. Helon, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Wildlife Research Center
Richard A. Dolbeer, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Wildlife Research CenterFollow

Date of this Version

March 2001

Comments

Published in Crop Protection 20 (2001) 65}68.

Abstract

Sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) are opportunistic omnivores that incorporate both waste and unharvested cereal grains (Gramineae) in their diets. Limited hunting of cranes to reduce crop damage has had questionable results, and lethal control of depredating species is increasingly contentious. Our objectives were to evaluate anthraquinone-based Flight Control^TM and methyl anthranilate-based ReJeX-iT^TM AG-36 as nontoxic avian foraging repellents in separate 2-choice pen tests with captive greater sandhill cranes (G. c. tabida) fed with whole-kernel corn (Zea mays). In both tests, crane pairs consumed, respectively, 8.6 and 9.8 times more untreated than treated corn. Total corn consumption did not differ among the treatment and control groups during the 8-day experiment. Though both repellents were effective at deterring cranes from treated corn, neither has been tested on corn under field conditions.