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CC BY-ND V4.0, Open Access
Dissertation
European Starling (Sturnus Vulgaris) Seasonal Movement on Dairies, Their Impact on Lactating Cow Behavior, and a Potential Starling Deterrence Method
Washington State University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
2023
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000005203
Abstract
The European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is an incredibly successful invasive bird species in the United States. Starlings are considered a pest species in agriculture because of the damage and financial loss that they cause. On dairies, starlings eat and soil cattle feed and are potential vectors of disease. How starlings use dairies, their impact on lactating cow behavior, and the most effective method to deter them from dairies is not well studied. To better understand these topics, we designed experiments to answer the following questions: (1) Are starlings more attracted to dairies as a roost site in winter than in summer?, (2) As the number of starlings present in the feed bunk increases, does lactating dairy cow behavior change?, and (3) Can a laser be used to deter starlings from roosting in freestall barns on dairies without negatively impacting lactating dairy cow behavior? We used a novel method to estimate the number of starlings roosting in freestall barns on dairies and found more starlings are present roosting in dairy structures in late fall, winter, and early spring than in summer. Through video analysis and an ear tag activity monitor we found initial evidence that starlings have a negative impact on lactating dairy cow behavior and welfare. We were not able to conclude that the lasers were effective at deterring starlings, but they did not affect lactating cow behavior. A few simple tweaks may improve the efficacy of these lasers as a starling deterrent. This information can be used to advise farmers to speak to their local wildlife management agency about implementing deterrence measures on their farms in late summer to reduce the number of starlings roosting on their farms and to protect lactating cow welfare. The best deterrence strategy likely involves combining multiple deterrence methods so starlings are more likely to respond to being disturbed and less likely to habituate to being disturbed.
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Details
- Title
- European Starling (Sturnus Vulgaris) Seasonal Movement on Dairies, Their Impact on Lactating Cow Behavior, and a Potential Starling Deterrence Method
- Creators
- Callan Amelia Lichtenwalter
- Contributors
- Amber Adams Progar (Advisor)Marcos Marcondes (Committee Member)Craig McConnel (Committee Member)Kyle Taylor (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Animal Sciences, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 103
- Identifiers
- 99901019231001842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation