Effect of water on birds and insect pests in the rice fields of Kannur district, Kerala, India

The vast water bodies of a paddy field attract avian fauna. These water bodies serve as feeding, breeding, nesting and roosting places for the birds. During the winter, migratory birds arrive the water bodies. Since Mundakan (Rabi) season coincided with the winter season, there was highest number of birds in the paddy field. Most of the birds were insectivorous and carnivorous. Insectivorous birds consumed insect pests of paddy and as a result the number of insect pests in the paddy field with water bodies was less when compared with other paddy fields.