Ibis Ibis consume large numbers of insects from pastures, particularly grasshoppers, larvae, crickets, caterpillars, and also eat mice. Ibis need a water source with sites for safe roosting, and will fly 25km or more to feed on insects in pastures or lucerne, or in new turned soil. Beetle larvae, locusts and yabbies are also commonly eaten. Each ibis can eat about 200 grams of insects per day- a flock of 1000 ibises can eat almost a quarter of a million insects in one day. They are territorial, occupying at least 2.5 hectares, and require tree hollows for nesting.
More pasture insects are likely to be eaten by birds in areas where woodland is adjacent to pasture.
Magpies feed on the ground but require trees for nesting. Woodland birds like choughs and some flycatchers, robins and wrens may venture into pastures to forage, where pastures are close to woodland areas. Birds may also take pasture insects like scarab larvae and grass grubs as adult insects when they are in flight or feeding or resting on trees. Therefore it makes sense for farmers to actively manage trees to encourage insect eating and other birds in just the same way that they actively manage their pastures. While in the past, native vegetation was cleared, it is now accepted that maintaining some native vegetation on farms actually increases productivity.