Table 1 - uploaded by Ronald J. Kendall
Content may be subject to copyright.
Source publication
Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and Scaled quail (Callipepla squamata) populations have seen a dramatic decline in the Rolling Plains ecoregion of Texas and Oklahoma, USA. There is a rising concern for the potential toxicity of neonicotinoids in birds. To investigate this concern, we examined crops of 81 Northern Bobwhite and 17 Scaled quai...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... particular concern is the widespread wheat planting that occurs in August and September. The relative toxicity of specific neonicotinoids is moderate to low (Table 1). However, if high quantities of treated seeds are consumed, this may constitute a risk [22] depending on the acute toxic potential of pesticides used for seed treatments [23]. ...
Similar publications
Northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) have been declining across the range of the species primarily due to habitat loss and habitat fragmentation. There is increasing concern regarding effects related to elevated environmental contaminants, including pesticides and metals. Elevated concentrations of some metals are known to have adverse effects...
Citations
... Farming not only changes the habitat and increases fragmentation, possibly making it less favorable for foraging or nesting success or predator avoidance, but also may cause potential exposures to toxicants (e.g., pesticides), which can result in negative effects (Palmer and Bromley 1992;Richardson et al. 2020). In addition, many historical studies on parasites and pathogens have shown that pathogens may be a health threat (King et al. 1981; Wilson and Crawford 1988;Turaga et al. 2016;Dunham et al. 2017;Brym et al. 2018;Bruno et al. 2019;Shea et al. 2021). However, contemporary studies on free-ranging bobwhite quail have primarily focused on parasites or specific infectious agents (e.g., influenza virus, West Nile virus [WNV], intestinal microbiota) or were limited in geographic scope (Ferro et al. 2012;Urban et al. 2013;Su et al. 2014). ...
The Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) has been undergoing a range-wide population decline. Potential causes for declines across its historic range have been investigated for decades and include habitat loss and fragmentation and a variety of parasitic and infectious diseases. Although there have been studies on bobwhite ecology in Oklahoma, USA, relatively little is known about parasites and pathogens in the region. We evaluated the health of free-ranging bobwhites from nine sites in western Oklahoma. From 2018 to 2020, 206 bobwhites were evaluated for gross and microscopic lesions and tested for selected pathogens. In general, bobwhites were in good nutritional condition with ample muscle mass and fat stores. No significant gross lesions were observed in any bobwhite and no significant histologic lesions were detected in a subset. There was no evidence of infection with or exposure to reticuloendotheliosis virus, West Nile virus, respiratory Mycoplasmataceae species, Pasteurella multocida, intestinal Eimeria spp., or oral Trichomonas spp. Several pathogens of potential concern were detected, including avian adenovirus (8.6%), Toxoplasma gondii (2.3%), and haemosporidians (a Haemoproteus sp. (1.5%), Leucocytozoon schoutedeni (1.5%), and Plasmodium homopolare haplotype 2 [lineage LAIRI01; 3.6%]). Physaloptera sp. (12%) and Sarcocystis sp. (1%) were detected in the breast muscle. Low intraspecific genetic diversity was noted for Physaloptera sp., and sequences were most similar to Physaloptera sequences from bobwhites and grasshoppers (Orthoptera) in Texas. Low intensities of chewing lice, chiggers, and ticks were observed. A subset of bobwhites had evidence of exposure to selected toxicants and heavy metals; a small number had low levels of iron, manganese, zinc, molybdenum, and copper, which were not considered diagnostically relevant. In general, bobwhites from western Oklahoma appeared to be in good health with a low diversity of pathogens detected, but future work is needed to understand potentially changing disease risks for this population.
... As a result of these chemical advances and despite the lack of a 'smoking gun' indicative of levels causing intoxication such as a biochemical test of impairment, there is now a plethora of studies that show extensive exposure of birds in farmland. Turaga et al. (2015) provided data on bird exposure to treated seed in NW Texas, USA on Bobwhite Quail and Scaled Quail (Callipepla squamata), two species exhibiting declines in that region. They trapped and euthanized individuals of both species (81 BOBW; 17 SCQU) in the late summer of 2013, the time of winter wheat sowing. ...
A 10 year update of the science behind the need to restrict neonicotinoid insecticides to protect birds and the ecosystems on which they depend. As with the 2013 report, this was produced on behalf of the American Bird Conservancy.
... The next most "popular" are seed dressings with the active substances thiamethoxam and clothianidin (in 2018, 14 and 11 preparations were registered, respectively, see List of pesticides..., 2018) have a much lower level of toxicity for birds -approximately 50-100 times. In particular, LD50 of the first of these is 1552 mg/kg BW for Virginia Quail, Colinus virginianus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Turaga et al., 2016), for clothianidin -more than 2000 mg/kg BW (Gibbons et al., 2015). There are two preparations with the active substance fipronil among the insecticide-treatments registered in Ukraine. ...
Since the 1980s, a significant decline in the number of breeding populations of the Rook, Corvus frugilegus Linnaeus, 1758, has been observed in many European countries. In Ukraine, this trend has been observed since the late 1990s. In 2021, the conservation status of the Rook in Europe was significantly upgraded — from “LC” (Least Concern) to “VU” (Vulnerable). The analysis of the material of surveys in 1983–1985 and 2021 on the territory of 1850 km² in Kyiv Region showed that during the 35 years, there was a catastrophic decrease in the number of nesting birds, it decreased almost 12 times, from 11,480 pairs in the 1980s to 961 pairs in 2021. In addition, the spatial structure of the distribution of colonies in relation to large arable agricultural land has changed. We suggest that the main reason for these changes is the widespread use of seed treatments with the active ingredient imidacloprid. The use of treated grains for food by birds leads to their death. Since 2018, the countries of the European Union countries have banned the use of insecticides containing imidacloprid on open land.
... All these studies, as well as others that have monitored the exposure of wild birds to pesticides used for seed treatments (e. g. Bro et al., 2016;Ertl et al., 2018;MacDonald et al., 2018;Turaga et al., 2016), use invasive methods (e.g. blood collection) or biological samples (e.g. ...
... Because of the sowing asynchrony among fields, treated seeds were continuously available to birds on the field surfaces during the whole period of sample collection. To ensure the collection of freshly excreted faeces, these were collected from birds while roosting at night (Turaga et al., 2016). Birds were located at dusk to identify their roosting sites, which were visited later on the same night. ...
The treatment of seeds with pesticides is an extended practice in current agriculture. There is a high risk of exposure in granivorous birds, such as the red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa), that can consume those seeds remaining on the surface during sowing. Fungicide exposure could in turn affect bird reproductive capacity. To better understand to what extent triazole fungicides are a threat to granivorous birds, we need an easy and reliable method to quantify field exposure. In this study, we tested a novel non-invasive method to detect the presence of triazole fungicide residues in farmland bird faeces. We experimentally exposed captive red-legged partridges to validate the method, and then applied it in a real scenario to assess exposure of wild partridges. We exposed adult partridges to seeds treated with two formulations containing triazole fungicides as active ingredients: Vincit®Minima (flutriafol 2.5%) and Raxil®Plus (prothioconazole 25% and tebuconazole 15%). We collected two types of faeces (caecal and rectal samples) immediately after exposure and 7 days later and quantified the concentrations of the three triazoles and their common metabolite (1,2,4-triazole). The three active ingredients and 1,2,4-triazole were only detected in faeces collected immediately after exposure. Triazole fungicide detection rates in rectal stool were 28.6%, 73.3% and 80% for flutriafol, prothioconazole and tebuconazole, respectively. In caecal samples, detection rates were 40%, 93.3% and 33.3%, respectively. 1,2,4-triazole was detected in 53% of rectal samples. For an applied use of the method in the field, we collected 43 faecal samples from wild red-legged partridges during autumn cereal seed sowing and found detectable levels of tebuconazole in 18.6% of the analysed wild partridges. Our study shows that faecal analysis can be a useful tool to assess farmland bird exposure to triazole fungicides, when samples are fresh and the method has been validated for the detection of target molecules.
... The efficiency of sowing is never complete in practice, and the unincorporated treated seeds remaining on the soil surface, although at varying densities, are available to seed-eating birds (de Leeuw et al., 1995;De Snoo & Luttik, 2004;López-Antia et al., 2016;McKay et al., 1999). Most field studies have focused on the risk to birds of winter cereal seeds (mainly wheat and barley) treated with neonicotinoids (Botha et al., 2018;Ertl et al., 2018;Lennon et al., 2020aLennon et al., , 2020bTuraga et al., 2016). Recent studies in Canada and the United States evaluated the risk to birds posed by spring cereal seeds (i.e., maize) and oilseeds (i.e., soybean) treated with neonicotinoids (McGee et al., 2018;Roy & Coy, 2020;Roy et al., 2019), but little is known about the risk posed by seeds and their cotyledons treated with imidacloprid in South American agroecosystems. ...
Treated seeds and their cotyledons can present a toxicological risk to seed-eating birds. To assess whether avoidance behavior limits exposure and consequently the risk to birds, three fields were sown with soybeans. Half of the surface of each field was sown with seeds treated with 42 g /100 kg seed of insecticide imidacloprid (T plot, treated) and the other half with seeds without imidacloprid (C plot, control). Unburied seeds were surveyed in C and T plots at 12 h and 48 h post-sowing. Damaged seedlings was surveyed in C and T plots at 12 days post-sowing. Abundance and richness of birds was surveyed at the field level (without distinguishing between C and T plots) before, during, and after sowing, and 12 days post-sowing. Seed density was higher in the headlands of the T plots than in the C plots, but did not differ between 12 and 48 h. The damage on cotyledons of seedlings was 15.4% higher in C plots than in T plots. The abundance and richness per hectare of birds that eat seeds and cotyledons were lower after sowing, indicating a deterrent effect of sowing imidacloprid-treated seeds on birds. Although the variation in seed density over time does not allow solid conclusions to be drawn about the avoidance of seeds treated by birds, the seedling results suggest an aversive effect of imidacloprid-treated soybeans on birds. The dominant species was the eared dove (Zenaida auriculata), whose risk of acute poisoning by imidacloprid in soybean seeds and cotyledons was low, according to its toxicity exposure ratio (TER), its foraged area of concern, and its foraged time of concern. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;00:0-0. © 2023 SETAC.
... Exposure of birds to pesticide-treated seeds is furthermore demonstrated by mounting evidence that wild birds are exposed to neonicotinoids and fungicides used for seed coating, [108][109][110][111][112][113][114][115][116] as well as reports of mortality linked to ingestion of pesticide-coated seeds. [54][55][56][57][117][118][119][120] The dose ingested by birds in a single feeding bout on treated seeds can be sufficient to cause lethal and sublethal effects. ...
With the expansion of human settlements and the environmental changes brought on by human activity and pollutants, toxicology and risk assessment of bird and reptile species is becoming increasingly of interest to toxicologists involved in environmental research. This book focuses specifically on environmental risk assessment in non-conventional bird and reptile species.
Bird and Reptile Species in Environmental Risk Assessment Strategies will be an ideal companion to toxicologists and ecologists interested in risk assessment in the environments of birds and reptiles, particularly those with an interest in the impact introduced by human activity. The book will also be of interest to those working in conservation biology, biological invasion, biocontrol and habitat management.
... Vol:. (1234567890) appears to be infrequent (McGee et al., 2018;Turaga et al., 2016), treated seeds do not seem to be avoided, especially during the sowing period of winter cereals (Lennon et al., 2020;Lopez-Antia et al., 2016;Roy & Coy, 2020;Roy et al., 2019). Although the number of seeds consumed by birds represents an overall concentration of active molecules below LD 50 , individuals may ingest doses that are known to produce acute and/or chronic exposure (lowest observed adverse effect level, LOAEL; see Table 4 in Roy & Coy, 2020). ...
... Although the number of seeds consumed by birds represents an overall concentration of active molecules below LD 50 , individuals may ingest doses that are known to produce acute and/or chronic exposure (lowest observed adverse effect level, LOAEL; see Table 4 in Roy & Coy, 2020). Studies finding no 'imminent danger' to wildlife (see Turaga et al., 2016 for an example) should, however, refer to LOAEL rather than to LD 50 , which is not representative of the risk to granivorous bird endangered by treated seed consumption (see section 'Improving ecological risk assessment' for a discussion on these endpoints). ...
For decades, we have observed a major biodiversity crisis impacting all taxa. Avian spe- cies have been particularly well monitored over the long term, documenting their declines. In particular, farmland birds are decreasing worldwide, but the contribution of pesticides to their decline remains controversial. Most studies addressing the effects of agrochemicals are limited to their assessment under controlled laboratory conditions, the determination of lethal dose 50 (LD50) values and testing in a few species, most belonging to Galliformes. They often ignore the high interspecies variability in sensitivity, delayed sublethal effects on the physiology, behaviour and life-history traits of individuals and their con- sequences at the population and community levels. Most importantly, they have entirely neglected to test for the multiple exposure pathways to which individu- als are subjected in the field (cocktail effects). The present review aims to provide a comprehensive over- view for ecologists, evolutionary ecologists and con- servationists. We aimed to compile the literature on the effects of pesticides on bird physiology, behaviour and life-history traits, collecting evidence from model and wild species and from field and lab experiments to highlight the gaps that remain to be filled. We show how subtle nonlethal exposure might be pernicious, with major consequences for bird populations and communities. We finally propose several prospec- tive guidelines for future studies that may be consid- ered to meet urgent needs.
... However, this model species does not seem as suitable as Red-legged Partridge for specific ecotoxicological assessment of treated seeds. A recent study found a complete absence of treated seed in the crop contents of Northern Bobwhite captured from the Rolling Plains in Texas and Oklahoma (Turaga et al. 2016). By contrast, Lopez-Antia et al. (2016) observed Red-legged Partridges feeding on cereal fields that had recently been sown with treated seeds. ...
... The results of this work suggest that prescribed burning positively impacted arthropod prey abundance and biomass for bobwhites and that time also exerted a strong influence on arthropod community composition, abundance, and biomass. While we framed these results in terms of bobwhite foraging ecology, they may apply to other taxa that feed on similarly sized arthropods in this system ( Campbell-Kissock et al. 1985 ;Doxon and Carroll 2007 ;Doxon and Carroll 2010 ;Turaga et al., 2015 ) and other systems (Blackshear and 1990;Sikes et al. 1990 ;Kaspari and Joern 1993 ;Boatman et al. 2004 ;Hellgren et al. 2010 ;Morrow et al. 2015 ;Heuring et al. 2019 ;Feijó et al. 2020 ). ...
Variation in the relative abundance and biomass of arthropods has important potential consequences for insectivores. We studied the influence of temporal variation and habitat management (i.e., burning and strip-disking) on the availability of potential arthropod prey for brooding northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) in the mixed-grass prairie of western Oklahoma. Burning changed the composition of the arthropod community by biomass, but disking did not result in any community-level changes. Burning also increased the total abundance and biomass of arthropods collected compared with the control, but disking did not affect total abundance or biomass. Temporal variation exerted a broader influence on arthropods, and total abundance and biomass increased throughout the duration of the sampling period (May-July) at paired burn/control and paired disked/control sites. Ants, which had the highest abundance and biomass of any taxa, appeared to drive these patterns. The response of individual orders to management and temporal variation varied in size and direction, though we observed more and stronger effects of temporal variation than burning or disking. These results support the idea that burning provides benefits to foraging bobwhite broods through increased total availability of arthropod prey, as well as favorable habitat characteristics (i.e., bare ground, structural heterogeneity). Large temporal variation in total arthropod abundance and biomass, as well as that of individual orders, likely also influences the relative importance of individual prey items in the bobwhite diet based on the timing of nest initiation and hatching. A better understanding of how these temporal and management-induced shifts in arthropod availability influence potential nutrient gains and limitations for bobwhites will require data on macronutrient content and digestibility (i.e., exoskeleton) of prey taxa.
... Aside from palatability, other factors present in a natural environment such as hunger/starvation (Pascual et al. 1999c), predation risk (Avery et al. 1994), food unpredictability and accessibility (Lopez-Antia et al. 2014;Murton and Visozo 1963;Browns 1968), or competition (McKay et al. 1999) are all likely to influence consumption rates of different bird species in real-world situations. Complex though, all of these effects may be field evidence of bird fatality due to imidacloprid-treated and neonicotinoid-treated seed poisoning has been discovered, showing that wild birds do not always avoid eating treated seeds (Berny et al. 1999;Bro et al. 2004Bro et al. , 2010Turaga et al. 2016;Millot et al. 2017;Ertl et al. 2018). ...
We determine the exposure of wild birds to pesticides via consumption of fludioxonil-treated winter wheat seeds following autumn drilling. We recorded the density of seeds left on the soil surface, bird density, and consumption of pesticide-treated seed by birds using camera traps. We calculated the dose ingested by each bird species in a single feeding bout and if they ate treated seeds exclusively for 1 day. We extrapolated this for an additional 19 pesticides commonly used as seed treatments, assuming equal consumption rates. All three fields contained grains on the soil surface (mean 7.14 seeds/m 2 on sowing day). In total, 1,374 granivorous birds spanning 18 different species were observed in the fields, with 11 species filmed eating the seeds. Fludioxonil appears to pose a low risk to birds, with <1.14% of the LD50 potentially ingested by a bird for a daily maximum amount of seeds. Analysis of the further 19 pesticides commonly used as seed dressings suggests that the neonicotinoid insecticides imidacloprid, clothianidin, and thiamethoxam represent the highest risk for granivorous birds. For example, chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) could consume 63% of LD50 of imidacloprid in a single feeding bout, and 370% in a day. Further investigation is clearly required to determine whether seeds treated with these other pesticides are consumed as readily as those treated with fludioxonil, as if so this is likely to cause significant harm.
