Agricultural intensification has led to dramatic declines in bird populations. In particular, the acknowledged role of synthetic pesticides on direct bird intoxication or food resource depletion urges us to seek alternative crop protection methods. Pest exclusion netting systems have recently gained popularity among fruit growers as an efficient means of reducing pest attacks, allowing their transition to organic farming. Single-row exclusion nets, which only cover fruit trees and leave uncovered both the inter-row grassy strips and the hedges, are increasingly being used in apple orchards of Southern Europe. However, net-induced effects on wildlife remain unknown. This study is the first to assess the impacts of single-row exclusion nets on breeding bird communities. We hypothesized that the exclusion net effects would be weaker than those associated with synthetic pesticide use, except for bird species that forage in the tree canopy. We monitored breeding bird abundance, and species richness in 46 commercial apple orchards managed using integrated pest management (IPM) or organic standards with or without exclusion nets. We counted 705 birds belonging to 32 different species. Total bird abundance, the number of observed species, and the Chao1 estimate of species richness were influenced by orchard management strategy. Breeding bird assemblages in organic orchards were as numerous and diverse in both the presence and absence of exclusion nets. In contrast, both bird abundance and species richness were significantly decreased in IPM orchards. The abundance and species richness of bird assemblages and the abundance of a few individual species also increased with the number of hedgerows bordering the orchards. Our results demonstrate that single-row netting systems for organic farming represent an effective pest control strategy with no significant impact on bird communities and highlight the importance of hedgerows along the orchards’ edges.

农业集约化导致鸟类数量急剧下降。特别是，合成农药对直接鸟类中毒或食物资源枯竭的公认作用促使我们寻求替代作物保护方法。害虫排除网系统最近在水果种植者中广受欢迎，作为减少害虫侵袭的有效手段，允许他们过渡到有机农业。单排排网，只覆盖果树，不覆盖排间草带和树篱，在南欧的苹果园中越来越多地使用。然而，对野生动物的净诱导影响仍然未知。这项研究首次评估了单排排网对繁殖鸟类群落的影响。我们假设排除的净效应将弱于与合成农药使用相关的净效应，但在树冠中觅食的鸟类除外。我们监测了 46 个商业苹果园的繁殖鸟类丰度和物种丰富度，这些苹果园使用害虫综合管理 (IPM) 或有机标准（有或没有排除网）进行管理。我们计算了属于 32 个不同物种的 705 只鸟。鸟类总丰度、观察到的物种数量和 Chao1 对物种丰富度的估计受到果园管理策略的影响。有机果园中的繁育鸟类群落数量众多且种类繁多，无论是否存在排除网。相比之下，IPM 果园的鸟类丰度和物种丰富度均显着下降。鸟类群落的丰富度和物种丰富度以及少数个别物种的丰富度也随着果园周边树篱的数量而增加。我们的研究结果表明，用于有机农业的单排网系统代表了一种有效的害虫防治策略，对鸟类群落没有显着影响，并突出了果园边缘树篱的重要性。