Insectivorous birds provide key ecosystem services for agricultural production, such as biological pest control. However, habitat loss and degradation by agriculture are among the main causes of biodiversity loss globally, including the recent decline in bird populations. Habitat loss has particularly affected insectivorous birds due to the associated decrease in the availability of suitable nesting sites. Our study assessed a tool of ecological intensification to increase insectivorous bird abundance and biological control in vineyards. We evaluated the effects of nest boxes on prey removal by insectivorous birds in five vineyards in central Chile, using a two-year sentinel prey experimental trial. Our results showed significantly more sentinel larvae removal by birds in plots with nest boxes than control plots. Deploying the nest boxes resulted in a 43% higher consumption of sentinel prey. Therefore, we recommend using nest boxes as an environmentally-friendly method to increase native predators and enhance biological control in agricultural fields. This would have the potential to improve biodiversity conservation and maximize crop yields.

食虫鸟类为农业生产提供关键的生态系统服务，例如生物害虫防治。然而，农业造成的栖息地丧失和退化是全球生物多样性丧失的主要原因之一，包括最近鸟类数量的下降。由于合适的筑巢地点的可用性相应减少，栖息地丧失对食虫鸟类的影响尤其严重。我们的研究评估了一种生态强化工具，以增加葡萄园中食虫鸟类的丰度和生物控制。我们使用为期两年的前哨猎物实验试验评估了巢箱对智利中部五个葡萄园中食虫鸟类清除猎物的影响。我们的结果表明，与对照地块相比，在有巢箱的地块中鸟类清除的哨兵幼虫明显更多。部署巢箱导致哨兵猎物消耗量增加 43%。因此，我们建议使用巢箱作为一种环保的方法来增加本地捕食者并加强农业领域的生物控制。这将有可能改善生物多样性保护并最大限度地提高作物产量。