Abstract
THE role of birds in woodland productivity has not been measured, although it has been recognized that this may be significant1. During August and September 1968, collecting trays were used in two small Leicestershire woods to estimate faecal downput by rooks. Rooks fed during the day on the adjacent arable and pasture land, near farm buildings, and on rubbish dumps, roosting at night in small numbers in the trees. Two kinds of pellets could be differentiated : the normal faecal droppings with a high uric acid content, and regurgitated pellets without uric acid but including coarse plant residues and grit from the gizzard.
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WEIR, J. Importation of Nutrients into Woodlands by Rooks. Nature 221, 487–488 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1038/221487a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/221487a0
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