Wild Bird Species Structure and Feeding Guilds in Agricultural Area at Zagazig District, Sharkia Governorate, Egypt

Abstract

Bird presence in the agricultural ecosystem is a critical for preserving ecological balance due to its various ecological impacts. The composition of bird species and their feeding guilds in agricultural land was investigated in El-Zahraa village, Zagazig district, Sharkia Governorate, Egypt. The point count method was used to survey bird species from April 2021 to March 2022. The survey identified a total of 21 bird species belonging to 17 families and 7 orders. The order Passeriformes was the most abundant; consist of 10 families: Alaudidae, Cisticolidae, Corvidae, Estrildidae, Hirundinidae, Motacillidae, Muscicapidae, Passeridae, Pycnonotidae, Sturnidae. The composition of bird guilds indicated that granivorous and insectivores birds were being more numerous than other guilds (omnivores, carnivores and piscivorous) while, the frugivorous birds was the least represented. The dominant bird species were represented with 5 species: house sparrow, hooded crow, rock pigeon, cattle egret and laughing dove. Food preference experiments conducted on the hooded crow revealed that birds tend to consume Tamia, liver, chicken intestine, and fish in that order. Interestingly, the crows did not consume any amount of crushed maize. Additionally, in terms of color preference, food placed on a blue plastic sheet was favored over food on a red plastic sheet. The abundance of bird species and the diversity of their feeding guilds reflect the richness of food resources in the agricultural area. Furthermore, understanding the food preferences of the hooded crow may assist in utilizing this preferred and cost-effective food (Tamia) as bait to attract and control these birds.

Full text

CATRINA (2024), 32 (1):73-81
© 2024 BY THE EGYPTIAN SOCIETY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
_____________________________________________
* Corresponding author e-mail: mohamedissa011@gmail.com
Wild Bird Species Structure and Feeding Guilds in Agricultural Area at Zagazig District,
Sharkia Governorate, Egypt
Mohamed A. Issa*; Mohamed I. A. El-Bakhshawngi and Mohamad Abed
Harmful Animal Department, Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt
Received: March 31, 2024; Accepted: July 30, 2024
ABSTRACT
Bird presence in the agricultural ecosystem is a critical for preserving ecological balance due to its
various ecological impacts. The composition of bird species and their feeding guilds in agricultural
land was investigated in El-Zahraa village, Zagazig district, Sharkia Governorate, Egypt. The
point count method was used to survey bird species from April 2021 to March 2022. The survey
identified a total of 21 bird species belonging to 17 families and 7 orders. The order Passeriformes
was the most abundant; consist of 10 families: Alaudidae, Cisticolidae, Corvidae, Estrildidae,
Hirundinidae, Motacillidae, Muscicapidae, Passeridae, Pycnonotidae, Sturnidae. The composition
of bird guilds indicated that granivorous and insectivores birds were being more numerous than
other guilds (omnivores, carnivores and piscivorous) while, the frugivorous birds was the least
represented. The dominant bird species were represented with 5 species: house sparrow, hooded
crow, rock pigeon, cattle egret and laughing dove. Food preference experiments conducted on the
hooded crow revealed that birds tend to consume Tamia, liver, chicken intestine, and fish in that
order. Interestingly, the crows did not consume any amount of crushed maize. Additionally, in
terms of color preference, food placed on a blue plastic sheet was favored over food on a red
plastic sheet. The abundance of bird species and the diversity of their feeding guilds reflect the
richness of food resources in the agricultural area. Furthermore, understanding the food
preferences of the hooded crow may assist in utilizing this preferred and cost-effective food
(Tamia) as bait to attract and control these birds.
Keywords: Bird diversity; Ecological balance; El-Zahraa village Feeding guilds; Food preference;
Granivorous; Hooded crow.
INTRODUCTION
Egypt is situated in North Africa (Eastern corner)
and western Asia, it’s a bridge between continental, it’s
holding wide range of habitats that host and home to
many bird species (State Information Service, 2024).
About 515 bird species are founded in Egypt, format
about 4.70% out of world bird species, 186 of these
species are resident, while the rest are migratory
particularly Egypt is considered one of an important
migration route for birds in the world (EEAA, 2016;
Shaltout and El-Khalafy, 2024).
The environmental diversity in Egypt is an important
tool for attracting many bird species that have settled
and adapted to many places in Egyptian environment.
As a result, bird species were recorded in the different
Governorates; In Damietta Governorat Sheta et al.
(2010) recorded 154 bird species represented by 40
families following 17 orders. In Ismailia Governorate,
about 27 resident bird species and 6 migratory bird
species occurred (Abbasy et al., 2012). At Gharbia
governorate the resident bird species were 24 while the
migratory birds were 5 species (Metwally et al., 2016).
In Sharkia Governorate Issa (2019) recorded 25 bird
species as resident and 8 as migratory, but he noticed
that aquatic habitats harbor a higher number of birds
than field crop habitat. The agriculture habitat in Giza
Governorate was inhabited with 28 bird species
belonging to 25 families and 9 orders (Rizk et al.,
2020). In Assiut Governorate Omar (2020) found that
the bird species there were 23 species of birds follow
17 families and 9 orders. At Burllus Lake in northern
Egypt, 49 bird species from 23 families belonging to
12 orders were founded (Sheta, 2019). In the same lake
but in 2023, a total of 60 bird species were founded by
Sheta et al. (2023) amongst, 40 bird species were
recorded as migratory while the rest (20) were resident
bird species, theses bird species follow to 23 families
belonging to 12 orders. In Saint Catherine protectorate,
South Sinai, Egypt Soliman et al. (2022) recorded 73
bird species belonging to 28 families and 12 orders.
The term guild refers to a group of species that
accomplish an ecological role in accordance with its
utilization of resources within a community (Ricklefs,
2010). The bird feeding guild is specified by a variety
of food types consumed (Ghosh et al., 2022). But the
distribution and structures of bird feeding guilds
According to the habitat type, the understanding is still
limited (Wu et al., 2024). Therefore, studies on bird
feeding guilds are essential for understanding the
structure of bird species in specific areas (Shafie et al.,
2023), as these guilds relate to the functional aspects
that define how bird species interact within ecosystems
(Pabico et al., 2020). Many studies have categorized
species into guilds based on the food resources present
in their diets, such as omnivores, piscivores,
insectivores, carnivores, granivores, and frugivores
(González-Salazar et al., 2014; Sohil and Sharma,
2020; Pangestu et al., 2023). In Egypt Omar (2020)
founded that the bird feeding guilds at Assiut

Wild Bird Species Structure and Feeding Guilds in Agricultural Area at Zagazig District, Egypt
74
Governorate were Insectivorous, Carnivorous,
Omnivorous, Granivorous and Piscivorous.
The hooded crow (Corvus corone cornix Linnaeus,
1758) is a passerine bird from the family Corvidae in
the order Passeriformes (Svensson et al., 2009). It is a
typical species found in rural agricultural areas, urban
environments, and even in large cities (Emery and
Clayton, 2004). The hooded crow is an omnivorous
bird that feeds on a wide variety of invertebrate prey,
including insects, mollusks, amphibians, fish, crayfish,
as well as eggs and nestlings of other bird species. Its
diet also includes agricultural crops (field crops,
vegetable crops, and horticulture) and sheep farm
products (Zduniak et al., 2008; Attia, 2013; Ahmed et
al., 2018; Preininger et al., 2019). It's numerable as a
serious pest problem for agriculture sector in Egypt
because it attacks and depredates crops, vegetables and
fruits during the different growing stage (Abbasy et al.,
2012; Attia, 2013; Issa and El-Bakhshawngi 2018). As
a result, it is causing a significant impact for growers,
through yield losses, control costs and may lead to
replanting the crops (Anderson et al., 2013; Elser et al.,
2019; Issa et al., 2022).
Birds are used color for specific behaviors; they can
discriminate and choose between different colors
(Kelber et al., 2003). Ditto many birds have a
preference to specific, or disinclination to, food with
different colors (Duan et al., 2014), but preference to
specific food color may vary according to the food type
(Teichmann et al., 2020). Frugivorous birds prefer red
color over blue, green, black and yellow (Duan et al.,
2014). But other studies refer to the fact that many
birds prefer different colors, as example the garden
birds preferred silver and green than red and yellow
color (Rothery et al., 2017). In contrast, red and black
fruits were preferred than other colors (Gagetti et al.,
2016). The former expertise with the colors is another
influence for color preference in omnivorous as it tends
to utilize a wide range of natural and novel food
resources (Mukhopadhyay and Mazumdar 2019) it
depended on an individual age (Teichmann et al.,
2020). Finally, we believe that the availability and
abundance of food resources also influence food and
color preferences.
Our objective was to survey wild bird species, bird
populations, the most dominant birds, and bird feeding
guilds, while also studying the food preferences of the
hooded crow (in response to numerous complaints
about this species). We tested the effect of feeder color
on food intake under field conditions in Sharkia
Governorate from April 2021 to March 2022, aiming to
provide data that could aid in the control program for
hooded crows.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Data collection
Data were collected monthly from April 2021 to
March 2022 in El-Zahraa village, an agricultural area
located within the Zagazig district of Sharkia
Governorate in East Egypt. The geographical coord-
inates of the study site are latitude 31.5202285° N, and
longitude: 31.2327145° E30° 35' 15.65" (Map 1).
Three sites were chosen as replicates, the minimum
distance between each replicate was 1 km. The
experimental trials were conducted in the early
morning after sunrise directly in good weather
condition, specifically with no wind or rain.
Map (1): Location of experimental sites in Al-Zaharaa village,
sited within the Zagazig district of Sharkia Governorate in
East Egypt.
Bird survey
Fixed raising position was chosen in each site (the
three replicates), within a circle of 50 m radius for 10
min birds were surveyed in the early morning from 6
am to 8 am (Issa, 2019). Bird identifications were done
using Collins Bird Guide (Svensson et al., 2009), and
bird taxonomy were achieved according to (Clements
Checklist v2023).
The surveyed bird species were categorized to six
feeding guild types (omnivore, carnivore, piscivorous,
granivore frugivore, and insectivore) based on their
preferred diet descriptions from the literature
(González-Salazar et al., 2014; Subasinghe and
Sumanapala 2014; Imai et al., 2017; Sohil and Sharma
2020; Shafie et al., 2023). Categorization procedures
were: (1) Omnivores: those birds who feed on all
things, both animal and plant materials. (2) Carnivores:
birds feeding predominantly on vertebrates. (3)
Piscivorous: birds primarily feed on fish but also
arthropods, small crustaceans. (4) Insectivores: birds
feeding predominantly on insects but also arthropods,
small crustaceans. (5) Granivores: birds feed mainly on
grains and seeds. (6) Frugivores: birds feeding on fruits
or on seeds and fruits / nectar.
Food preference experimental for hooded crow
These experiments were prepared to examine which
color and food type preferred for hooded crow birds.
The experimental procedures were set up monthly
during the survey period at the same places, as a
response to farmers’ complaints about crow attacks and
because that the hooded crow was the second most
dominant bird species in the area. In the early morning,
at each site, 400 gm of five different types of baits
were placed on a plastic sheet with different colors (red
and blue), in a line form on the ground, 30 cm apart
from one another. The order of the baits was changed

Issa et al.,
75
along the crossbar after 30 minutes of starting to avoid
the preferences based on baits position rather than the
bait types and the plastic sheet colors (Rothery et al.,
2017). The baits were monitored for 2 hours, then
weighted and removed. Five different types of baits
were used to luring the hooded crow as follow: Fish
(Mediterranean sand smelt), Beef liver slices, Tamiya
or Egyptian fava bean fritters (made with split fava
beans, onion, fresh parsley, garlic cloves, fresh
cilantro, ground cumin, ground coriander and salt),
Crushed Yellow Maize, Chicken Intestine.
Data analysis
The records data about bird survey were tabulated
and analyzing to obtain the relative abundance using
the following formula: Relative abundance = n/N×100
Where, n is the total number of specific bird species
and N is the total number of all bird species. The data
were Statistical analysis using CoStat (2005) statistical
software. Mean ± standard error (SE) of bird damage
was calculated and differences between weeks were
analysis at p ≤ 0.05 level of significance by Duncan
(1955). RESULTS
Species formation
A total of 3877 individuals of birds, 21 species
belonging to 17 families and 7 orders, were recorded
throughout the study period (Table 1). Members of
order Passeriformes were found to be the most
abundant 2367 individuals, represented with 10
families (Alaudidae, Cisticolidae, Corvidae, Estr-
ildidae, Hirundinidae, Motacillidae, Muscicapidae,
Passeridae, Pycnonotidae and Sturnidae) holding 11
species (crested lark, graceful prinia, hooded crow, red
avadavat, barn swallow, white wagtail, western yellow
wagtail, bluethroat, house sparrow, common bulbul and
common myna), followed by order Columbiformes
with 862 individuals in one family (Columbidae)
holding 2 species (rock pigeon and laughing dove). In
the same trend, the order Pelecaniformes contains one
(Ardeidae) family holding 2 species (cattle egret and
little egret).
The order Coraciiformes, includes 2 families
(Alcedinidae and Meropidae) with three species (pied
kingfisher, common kingfisher and blue-cheeked bee-
eater) with 162 individuals. Further followed by
Bucerotiformes, Charadriiformes and Falconiformes
each having one species (Eurasian hoopoe, Spur
winged lapwing and Eurasian Kestrel) with 81, 56 and
35 individuals respectively.
Feeding guilds
Birds observed through our study were categorized
into six feeding guilds: insectivores, granivores,
piscivorous, carnivores, omnivores and frugivorous
(Fig. 1). Granivorous bird species were the dominant
(48.36%) followed by insectivores (21.56%),
omnivores (17.57%), carnivores (8%), piscivorous
(2.48%) while frugivorous was the last feeding guilds
(2.04%). Granivorous birds are comprised of the
Columbidae, Alaudidae, Estrildidae, and Passeridae
species. The Upupidae, Charadriidae, Meropidae, Cist-
Figure (1): Percentage of different feeding guilds for bird species
founded at El-Zahra village, Zagazig district, Sharkia Governorate
during the survey period from April 2021 to March 2022.
icolidae, Hirundinidae, Motacillidae and Musci-
capidae, were mainly among insectivore’s species. The
prominent families in omnivorous species were
Corvidae and Sturnidae. Carnivorous birds consist of
Falconidae and some Ardeidae members, while
piscivorous and frugivorous species were primarily
from some Ardeidae and Pycnonotidae respectively.
Dominant birds
The recoded bird species were represented in Figure
(2) with 5 bird species, which were house sparrow
represented 34% of the 5 dominant species (908
individuals), followed by hooded crow represented
24% (649 individuals), while the rest third species were
rock pigeon 23% (613 individuals), cattle egret 10%
(275 individuals) and Laughing dove 9% (249
individuals). This suggests the House sparrow is the
most prevalent and successful bird species occupying
this particular habitat or community.
The cattle egret and laughing dove have lower
relative abundances of 10% and 9%, respectively,
indicating they are less dominant. Tracking changes in
these relative abundance patterns of dominant birds
over time can reveal important trends related to habitat
alteration, environmental disturbances, or the
introduction of invasive species.
Figure 2: Relative abundance for the most dominant bird species
found at El-Zahra village, Zagazig district, Sharkia Governorate
during the survey period from April 2021 to March 2022.

Wild Bird Species Structure and Feeding Guilds in Agricultural Area at Zagazig District, Egypt
76
Table (1): Bird species, total and mean numbers found at El-Zahra village, Zagazig district, Sharkia Governorate during
the survey period from April 2021 to March 2022.
†I, Insectivores; G, Granivores; P, Piscivorous; C, Carnivores; O, Omnivores; F, Frugivorous.
Food preference
The illustrated data in Table (2) summarizes the
performance or measurements of various categories
across different months from April 2021 to March
2022. The Tamia category consistently shows high
values of consumption (mostly 100) across both sheet
types and throughout the months, indicating strong
performance or stability in this measurement.
Consumption of liver category also remains relatively
high, particularly in the Red sheet, however, using blue
some fluctuations were observed. Consumption of
other categories recoded variability including chicken
intestine and fish. Chicken intestine category shows
more variability, with values ranging from
approximately 30 to 100. The significant differences
between months indicate that factors affecting this
measurement may vary considerably. Meanwhile, the
fish category displays lower values compared to Tamia
and Liver, particularly in the earlier months. Zea maize
consumption was zero over all months of the study
(Table 2).
In general, tracking the percentage of different foods
consumed over the months, it is clear that Tamia and
liver reached their maximum consumption for most of
the year, while consumption was lowest in July and
August, respectively, for both the red and blue plastic
sheets. Statistical analysis indicates a significant effect
of the different bait types throughout all months of the
study period.
Hooded crow color preference
To compare the consumption percentages of different
bait types consumed by Hooded crows from April 2021
to March 2022 in red and blue plastic sheets, Table (2)
reflects the analysis of various aspects, such as the
overall trends in bait consumption, monthly variations,
and mean consumption across different bait types and
conditions. For overall trends, Tamia and Liver were
consistently the most consumed bait types in both
conditions (red and blue), with percentages mostly
above 80%. However, monthly consumption in red and
blue sheets showed variation across the study period. In
April 2021, blue sheet in fish consumption was higher
than in red. Chicken inte-stine and fish generally
recorded lower consumption percentages for both sheet
color. This trend for these bait types appears to be less
stable across months. During May to March 2022, blue
sheet maintained higher percentage for bait
consumption compared to red sheet. Crush maize
showed no attractive ability at any sheet color and
recorded zero consumption.
In general, higher overall mean consumption was
recorded for both Tamia and Liver in the blue
condition compared to red (Tamia, 91.86%, Liver,
81.81% and Tamia, 95.88% and Liver: 88.33%, for red
and blue sheets, respectively). The mean consumption
for Fish was considerably higher in the blue plastic
sheet (35.83%) than in the red (16.80%). Variation in
the monthly consumption patterns also indicates that
Common English name
Scientific name
Taxonomic position
Feeding†
guild
category
Total
No.
Mean
Order
Family
Eurasian hoopoe
Upupa epops major Brehm, 1855
Bucerotiformes
Upupidae
I
81
6.75
Spur-winged lapwing
Vanellus spinosus Linnaeus, 1758
Charadriiformes
Charadriidae
I
56
4.67
Rock pigeon
Columba livia schimperi Bonaparte, 1854
Columbiformes
Columbidae
G
613
51.08
Laughing dove
Spilopelia senegalensis Linnaeus, 1766
G
249
20.75
Pied kingfisher
Ceryle rudis rudis Linnaeus, 1758
Coraciiformes''
Alcedinidae
P
49
4.08
Common kingfisher
Alcedo atthis atthis Linnaeus, 1758
P
8
0.67
Blue-cheeked bee-eater
Merops persicus persicus Pallas, 1773
Meropidae
I
105
8.75
Eurasian kestrel
Falco tinnunculus tinnunculus Linnaeus, 1758
Falconiformes
Falconidae
C
35
2.92
Crested lark
Galerida cristata Linnaeus, 1758
Passeriformes
Alaudidae
G
83
6.92
Graceful prinia
Prinia gracilis Lichtenstein, 1823
Cisticolidae
I
194
16.17
Hooded crow
Corvus cornix cornix Linnaeus, 1766
Corvidae
O
649
54.08
Red avadavat
Amandava amandava amandava Linnaeus, 1758
Estrildidae
G
22
1.83
Barn swallow
Hirundo rustica savignii Stephens, 1817
Hirundinidae
I
180
15.00
White wagtail
Motacilla alba Linnaeus, 1758
Motacillidae
I
154
12.83
Western yellow wagtail
Motacilla flava pygmaea Brehm, 1854
I
52
4.33
Bluethroat
Luscinia svecica Linnaeus, 1758
Muscicapidae
I
14
1.17
House sparrow
Passer domesticus niloticus Nicoll & Bonhote, 1909
Passeridae
G
908
75.67
Common bulbul
Pycnonotus barbatus Desfontaines, 1789
Pycnonotidae
F
79
6.58
Common myna
Acridotheres tristis tristis Linnaeus, 1766
Sturnidae
O
32
2.67
Cattle egret
Bubulcus ibis Linnaeus, 1758
Ardeidae
C
275
22.92
Little egret
Egretta garzetta Linnaeus, 1766
P
39
3.25
Total number recorded
3877
323.08

Issa et al.,
77
Table 3. Variation in nutritional composition of hooded crow feeds: Seasonal trends and bait preference analysis, using different color sheet, during April 2021 to
March 2022 under field conditions in Sharkia Governorate.
Months
Red sheet
Blue sheet
Tamia
Liver
Intestine
Fish
Crush
Maize
LSD
Tamia
Liver
Intestine
Fish
Crush
Maize
LSD
Apr.2021
100 ±0.00a
100±0.00a
100±0.00a
53.33±8.82b
0c
12.43***
100 ±0.0a
100 ±0.0a
100 ±0.00a
68.33±7.26b
0c
10.24***
May
100±0.00a
100±0.00a
46.67±4.41b
11.67±11.67c
0c
17.58***
100±0.0a
100±0.0a
58.33±6.01b
35.00±20.21b
0c
29.71***
Jun.
93.33±6.67a
91.67±8.33a
30.0±16.07b
13.33±7.26bc
0c
29.05***
100 ±0.0a
88.33±11.67a
50.00±7.64b
26.67±15.90bc
0c
29.80***
Jul.
74.00±3.21a
25.0±14.43b
21.67±11.67b
16.67±8.33b
0b
29.02**
85.67±3.48 a
40.00±20.82b
33.33±6.01b
40.00±20.82b
0b
42.62*
Aug.
66.67±1.67a
26.67±6.01b
16.67±8.82bc
13.33±8.82bc
0c
19.65***
65.00±5.77 a
31.67±20.48 ab
36.67±9.28ab
28.33±14.24ab
0b
38.38*
Sep.
91.67±8.33a
83.33±16.67a
40.0±7.64b
13.33±13.33bc
0c
34.03***
100 ±0.0a
100 ±0.00a
55.00±20.00 b
40.00±20.21bc
0c
40.06**
Oct.
90.00±10.0a
90.0±10.00a
73.33±4.41a
15.00±8.66b
0b
24.18***
100±0.0a
100±0.00a
56.67±22.42 b
40.00±20.82bc
0c
43.11**
Nov.
93.33±6.67a
83.33±16.67a
100 ±0.0a
8.33±8.33b
0b
27.89***
100 ±0.0a
100 ±0.00a
100±0.00a
25.00±13.23b
0c
18.64***
Dec.
93.33±6.67a
81.67±18.33ab
53.33±6.67b
13.33±7.26c
0c
30.80***
100±0.0a
100±0.00a
46.67±14.81b
36.67±18.56b
0c
33.46***
Jan. 2022
100 ±0.00a
100 ±0.00a
61.67±23.15b
21.67±13.02c
0c
37.43***
100±0.0a
100±0.00a
55.00±10.41b
50.00±25.17b
0c
38.37***
Feb.
100 ±0.00a
100 ±0.00a
43.33±8.82b
15.0±7.64c
0c
16.44***
100 ±0.0a
100 ±0.00a
51.67±11.67b
28.33±15.90b
0c
27.79***
Mar.
100 ±0.00a
100 ±0.00a
100 ±0.00a
6.67.0±6.67b
0b
9.39***
100±0.0a
100±0.00a
100 ±0.00a
11.67±6.01b
0c
8.47***
mean
91.86±3.13a
81.81±7.83a
57.22±8.72b
16.80±3.41c
0d
15.99***
95.88±3.05a
88.33±7.16a
61.94±6,97b
35.83±4.08c
0d
14.22***
Data are presented as mean ± SE. Means within each row for the red and blue sheets separately, followed by different superscript letters, indicate a significant difference at the level of p ≤ 0.05 according to
Duncan's multiple range test. LSD, per row for the red and blue sheet separately, marked with***, indicate a highly significant difference among groups; ** indicates a significant difference; and * indicates a
moderate significant difference.

Wild Bird Species Structure and Feeding Guilds in Agricultural Area at Zagazig District, Egypt
78
hooded crows favored blue plastic sheets across most
bait types, suggesting a possible influence of the color
on their feeding preferences. Further investigations are
in need to explain this phenomenon.
DISCUSSION
A total of 3877 individuals of bird species from 21
species, 17 families and 7 orders were recorded during
this study, in contrast with other studies, it was low. As
patterns, a total of 51 bird species from 30 families and
10 orders were recorded at Sharkia Governorate (Attia,
2006). The same trend was founded during 2019 also at
Sharkia Governorate, with 33 bird species belonging to
24 families and 10 orders (Issa, 2019). Either at
Gharbia Governorate, a total of 29 bird species
belonging to 21 families with 10 orders were recorded
(Metwally et al., 2016). The variations in species
numbers are by virtue of observers, time of the day &
surrounded climate (Bibby et al., 2000), also the
variations in vegetation structure, food resources,
availabilities of essential requirements, biotic and
abiotic factors affect species numbers and distribution
(Liang et al., 2017; Sheta, 2019; Xu et al., 2022).
Our finding reveals that the surveyed bird species
belonged to 6 different guilds (insectivores, granivores,
piscivorous, carnivores, omnivores and frugivorous).
This indicates that the study area (El-Zahraa village as
a rural or agricultural area) provide well suited
(biotope) requirements such as food, resting, roosting,
shelter, and nesting sites that attract diverse numbers of
bird species for foraging sites. The vegetative
structures of the study site were diverse from season to
another with a fair diversity of trees, shrubs, water
canals and drains, which support rich abundance of
seeds, insects and other different feeding niches. As a
result, about (48.36%) of the birds of the study area
were Granivorous which reflects the variety of
cultivated crops, where there’s (wheat, alfalfa, broad
bean, pea, onion, maize, rice, squash, tomato, scattered
guava and ficus trees) growing. The insectivores
(21.56%) were in the second rank, that's refer to
abundance of insects which are related to crops,
followed by the omnivores (17.57%), carnivores (8%)
then piscivorous (2.48%) and frugivorous (2.04%).
Theses in line with previous studies revealed that,
granivorous birds were the highest rate amongst
different types of guilds (Pangestu et al., 2023),
because granivorous bird is a main of the avifauna
structure across the world (Franklin et al., 2000); it’s
the predominant group in several or perhaps in most
ecosystems (Turček, 2010). The complexity in
vegetation structure for the study area, lead to a
presence of abundant food resources including seeds,
insects (homoptera, wasps, dragonflies, beetles) and
aliments in agricultural fields (Ghosh et al., 2022).
Plant diversity is positively associated with insect
diversity and abundance accordingly the abundance of
insectivores (Pettorelli et al., 2011). It’s a source for
proteins and nitrogen for birds (Stratford and
Şekercioğlu, 2015). The bird guilds are differed
according to the habitat and the time of the year, as
example many bird species can use a mix of food
resources for other reasons, such as in reproductive
success, gather more insects for their chicks and
nestling during breeding season. Other studies refer
that insectivores were the dominant feeding guild
followed by either omnivores or carnivores (Sohil and
Sharma 2020), the same was recorded with (Azman et
al., 2011; Shafie et al., 2023) they clear that the
dominant was insectivores, followed by granivores and
carnivores. Dominant species is known as species with
high abundance proportion to another species in the
community (Avolio et al., 2019). The dominant bird
species in this study were house sparrow, hooded crow,
rock pigeon, cattle egret and laughing dove. This is
matched with the finding of Issa (2019) that the relative
abundance was highest with; house sparrow, hooded
crow, rock pigeon, laughing dove and cattle egret.
House sparrows are widely distributed in most habitats
of the world, due to their ability to adapt to climatic
conditions and local biotic factors (Hanson et al.,
2020). Identically, the omnivore diets for hooded crow
birds allow them to consume various type of foods, is a
common and widespread occurrence bird in Egypt
(Ahmed et al., 2018; Negm and Hassan2019).
The food preference experiments exhibited that
hooded crow birds prefer Tamia food followed by liver
than chicken intestine and finally fish, while it didn’t
consume any amount of crushed maize. We suggest
that the preference behavior for Tamia, attribute to its
ingredients (vegetable, protein and oil) and there's a
phenomenon in animals called high-fat foods
preferring phenomenon where animals is need to fat for
physiological demands (as body temperature or a
source for many hormones (Manabe et al., 2010), or
may be according to the acclimation behavior for
hooded crow to life as a neighbors to human
settlements and share the human or anthropogenic
resources (Sun et al., 2024). Another explanation for
that preference is the flexibility in using resources and
plasticity behavioral which enable crows to exploit
unusual resources for feeding and nesting (Benmazouz
et al., 2021). The food that comes from animal origin is
a very major portion of crow diet (Zduniak, 2006), so
hooded crow predates and feed on other species birds,
fish and even life fish (Zduniak et al., 2008; Kövér et
al., 2018).
CONCLUSION
This study has effectively documented the bird
species composition and feeding guilds within the
agricultural landscape of El-Zahraa village in the
Zagazig district of Sharkia Governorate, Egypt. The
survey revealed a diverse assemblage of 21 bird
species spanning 17 families and 7 orders, with a
notable dominance of the order Passeriformes. This
group, particularly granivorous and insectivorous birds,
highlighted the agricultural ecosystem’s richness and
its critical role in supporting wildlife diversity. The
results indicate that agricultural areas can serve as vital
habitats for various bird species, which contribute

Issa et al.,
79
significantly to ecological balance by engaging in pest
control and seed dispersal. The predominance of
certain species, including the house sparrow and
hooded crow, underscores the adaptability of birds in
agricultural environments. Additionally, the food
preference experiments conducted on the hooded crow
provide valuable insights into dietary choices, which
could inform management strategies for local bird
populations. Generally, this research emphasizes the
importance of maintaining healthy agricultural
ecosystems not only for crop production but also for
the sustenance of avian biodiversity. Future con-
servation efforts should focus on enhancing habitat
quality and promoting practices that support bird
communities while harmonizing agricultural prod-
uctivity and ecological health. Understanding the
intricate interactions between bird species and their
feeding habits paves the way for targeted strategies in
wildlife management, raising both agricultural success
and biodiversity conservation in the region.
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


 Passeriformes 10Alaudidae Cisticolidae, EstrildidaePycnonatida, Corvidae HirundinidaeMotacillidae Sturnidae MuscicapidaePasseridae.
 Granivorous    insectivores    Omnivores  Carnivores piscivorousFrugivorous
 House sparrow Hooded crow Rock pigeonCattle egret
  Laughing dove 
 
 
  
    
