September 20, 2018 – Beeville, TX – A recent study has revealed an ancient link between plague and the commonly held belief that birds help control the spread of rodent populations. They also show that effective pest control in rat-infested areas is within the grasp of farmers who understand the underlying ecological relationship. The study was published in Scientific Reports.
The study investigated the importance of the birds, specifically the wood thrush, in control of the rodent populations in the natural systems of the contiguous United States. The result revealed that wood thrush populations often decline with the increasing density of rat populations and the control and elimination of these rats can prevent the decline of wood thrush populations.
Wood thrush, also called the American wood-thrush, is an endangered bird and the easternmost species of wood-thrushes. Its natural habitat is broad areas of natural areas across the northern half of the United States, as well as in
