Use of Dry Bean Fields by Birds and Mammals in Brazil: Insights from a Field Study and its Use in Pesticide Risk Assessment.

The relationship between agriculture and wildlife can be both synergetic and challenging, as the increased surface of agricultural land makes it increasingly important for agriculture and wildlife to coexist. This study aims to describe the use of freshly drilled dry bean fields by birds and mammals in Brazilian Cerrado and Atlantic Forest sites and their diversity and abundance within in-crop and off-crop areas (with native permanent vegetation and other surrounding crop fields) at four different farms. A comprehensive survey was conducted, utilizing various sampling methods, including point counts, foraging counts, trail cameras, and occasional encounters. 12,518 birds (comprising 306 species) and 313 mammals (comprising 34 species) contacts were registered. The off-crop areas exhibited higher species richness, abundance, and diversity than the in-crop areas on all farms. For birds, 47 species were recorded in-crop, of which 15 were classified as insectivores, 15 as granivores, 7 as omnivores, 7 as carnivores, and 3 as frugivores. The number of in-crop observations per species was low. The abundance off-crop was higher for 31 species observed in-crop, indicating that dry bean fields are probably not a preferred habitat for those species. Species classified as granivorous are most likely to feed on dry bean seeds. However, almost all granivorous species observed in-crop areas are too small to be able to feed on dry bean seeds. For mammals, 9 species were recorded in-crop, of which 4 were classified as carnivores, 3 as omnivores, one as insectivore, and one as granivore. Additionally, despite the considerable effort, no evidence was found that birds and mammals feed on dry bean seeds in this study. The results highlight the importance of off-crop areas in dry bean fields, characterized by a more diverse and abundant bird community than in-crop.