Waterbird densities in South European rice fields as a function of rice management.

The article focuses on the study which aims to understand how rice field conditions influence the bird community during the winter. Researchers analyzed bird densities in the rice field areas around the Tejo and the Sado estuaries, Portugal and related these to straw management and water level in the paddies. In the study, the water level in the fields also differs between paddies due to both rainfall and drainage with some fields completely drying out while others remaining moist and some with water in ditches, and others remaining flooded. It shows that he amount of water in the paddies was also included in the final fitted models for seven species with variable included in the final model.