Effects of Different Crop Calendar for Rice Cultivation on the Nesting of Grey-headed Lapwings

Abstract

Grey-headed lapwings are wild birds that nest in paddy fields and are closely associated with agriculture, but farming activities have been reported to be the main cause of their breeding failures. With the increasing development of water facilities and the shift to early crop rice, elucidating the impact of different crop calendars for rice cultivation on their breeding is important in order to achieve a symbiotic relationship between Grey-headed lapwings and agriculture. This study focused on Hatsushimo, a late rice crop variety grown in Gifu Prefecture. We investigated the breeding status of Grey-headed lapwings between study sites with different crop rice calendars in Gifu Prefecture to clarify the effect of changes in crop calendars for rice cultivation on their reproduction. The results showed that late rice production varieties created a favorable environment for Grey-headed lapwings breeding lasted longer. And, that production less affected to their breeding by farming activities than the other areas. The results of this study indicate that a local rice calendar considering the life histories of paddy creatures could achieve symbiosis.