Analysis of the Effects of Feeding Ecology of Double-spurred Francolin (Pternitis bicalcaratus linn.) On Crop Production in Ekiti State, Nigeria

Abstract

Pternitis bicalcaratusis a bird with both positive and negative economic values. Due to the feeding habit they exhibit, they are regarded as agricultural pest. Despite their known to feed on both plants and insects materials, there has been no previous study on the effects of their feeding ecology on crop productions in Ekiti State. The study was therefore designed to determine link between bird’s habitat and their preferred food and the impact of the bird’s feeding ecology on crop production. The study was carried out in four Local Government Areas randomly selected from the northern and southern parts of Ekiti State, Nigeria. Eight farm areas were visited for field study and a well-structured questionnaire was used to collect relevant information from 120 randomly selected respondents (hunters and farmers) from the study area. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Seventy seven point five percent (77.5%) indicated food as the major reason the bird were encountered in large numbers on the farm, majority (97%) of the respondents maintained that farm plantations were attacked by the bird and 84.6% of the respondents indicated that Pternitis bicalcalratus destroy farm produce to a large extent. Hence, the questionnaire and the field study established that the birds were specially linked to their feeding habitats (farm areas) and also revealed that the food and feeding habits of Double-spurred francolins had detrimental effect on farms crops in Ekiti State.