Falcons reduce pre-harvest food safety risks and crop damage from wild birds

Foodborne illness outbreaks have heightened pressures on growers to improve food safety, including mitigating possible threats from wildlife. Among wildlife, birds are particularly challenging to deter, and the risks they pose to pre-harvest food safety remain unclear. Further, deterrence efforts can jeopardize conservation and biological control, necessitating strategies that effectively lead to co-management of farmlands for conservation, pest control, and pre-harvest food safety. Promotion of birds of prey with nest boxes may be one promising strategy to promote species of conservation concern that can deter pest birds that damage crops and introduce foodborne pathogens. Here, we evaluate if the American kestrel (Falco sparverius), a small falcon, can concurrently reduce crop damage and pre-harvest food safety risks from birds in sweet cherry orchards in Michigan, USA. In orchards with and without active kestrel nest boxes, we conducted avian transect surveys, estimated the percentag..., , # Falcons reduce pre-harvest food safety risks and crop damage from wild birds Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.9w0vt4bv8](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.9w0vt4bv8) ## Description of the data and file structure Data S1. Pathogen testing data: This file contains data pertaining to testing avian fecal samples for *Campylobacter* using both culturing and PCR approaches. It also provides bird identification data linked to each sample. Data S2. Transect survey data: This file contains avian density estimates from transect surveys. Data S3. Percent branches with feces: This file contains data on the number of avian fecal droppings on focal branches on cherry trees. It also provides data on the number of droppings with *Campylobacter.* Data S4. Damage data: This file provides estimates on the percentage of cherries with vertebrate damage. ### Files and variables #### File: Data_S1_Pathogen_testing_data.csv **Description:**Â **This file contains data pertaining to testing avian fecal samples ...,食源性疾病暴发事件持续加大种植者提升食品安全水平的压力，其中也涵盖缓解野生动物带来的潜在威胁。在各类野生动物中，鸟类的驱离工作尤为棘手，且其对收获前食品安全构成的风险仍不明朗。此外，驱离鸟类的举措可能会危及生物保护与生物防治工作，因此亟需能有效实现农田协同管理的策略，兼顾生物保护、害虫防控与收获前食品安全三大目标。借助巢箱招引猛禽，或是一项颇具前景的策略：既可以助力保育受关注物种，又能驱离破坏作物并携带食源性致病菌的害鸟。 本研究针对美国密歇根州甜樱桃园展开评估，旨在探究小型隼类——美洲红隼（*Falco sparverius*）是否能够同时降低野生鸟类带来的作物损害与收获前食品安全风险。在布设了正常运作的红隼巢箱与未布设此类巢箱的甜樱桃园中，我们开展了鸟类样线调查，并估算了枝条带粪率…… # 隼类可降低野生鸟类带来的收获前食品安全风险与作物损害 数据集DOI：[10.5061/dryad.9w0vt4bv8](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.9w0vt4bv8) ## 数据与文件结构说明 数据S1：致病菌检测数据。本文件包含采用培养法与聚合酶链式反应（PCR, Polymerase Chain Reaction）检测鸟类粪便样本中弯曲杆菌（*Campylobacter*）的相关数据，同时附带与每份样本绑定的鸟类鉴定信息。 数据S2：样线调查数据。本文件包含样线调查得到的鸟类密度估算结果。 数据S3：带粪便枝条占比数据。本文件包含樱桃树目标枝条上的鸟类粪便数量相关数据，同时附带携带弯曲杆菌的粪便数量信息。 数据S4：损害数据。本文件包含受脊椎动物损害的樱桃占比的估算结果。 ### 文件与变量 #### 文件：Data_S1_Pathogen_testing_data.csv **描述：** 本文件包含检测鸟类粪便样本的相关数据……