Birds p.2

also see pesticide fact sheets/ neonicotinoids 2, mammals

The more pesticides, the fewer birds (PAN Europe, 15 April 2026)    'A recent French study shows that common birds are far less abundant in agricultural areas where more pesticides are purchased. Negative effects were found for over 84% of the species studied. A reduction in pesticides would be a turning point in halting biodiversity loss, according to the scientists. But instead of addressing this, the EU is paving the way to keep harmful pesticides on the market indefinitely.     Researchers from the National Museum of Natural History in France (MNHN) compared local sales in France of 242 pesticide active substances with citizen-science data on 64 bird species. They found negative effects for more than 84% of the species studied. This negative relationship was significant for 25 species, with only one species displaying a significantly positive correlation between abundance and pesticide quantities. 1       “That is to say the more pesticides are sold, the fewer birds there are,” Anne-Christine Monnet, co-author of the study, explained to AFP. "We can conclude now that a reduction in pesticide use is necessary to mitigate current losses of agricultural biodiversity," the researchers stated. 2     According to the study, the impact of pesticides on birds can be either direct or indirect. Direct exposure occurs when granivorous birds ingest treated seeds or when insectivorous birds, raptors, or scavengers consume contaminated prey. On the other hand, indirect effects come from the depletion of food sources.'  SNAP Comment: I don't know if other provinces have sales per area, but, in SK, we don't even have a clue of what the current pesticide sales are for the province. Hard to do similar studies here.....

Population Declines in Insectivorous Birds Linked to Insecticide Exposure and Declines in Insects, Study Finds      (Beyond Pesticides, May 28, 2026) Researchers from France and Germany, as published in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, find that declines in bird populations are strongly linked to their diets, with insectivorous birds experiencing the greatest impacts. “Overall, our results emphasize the strong association between insecticide use and insectivorous bird declines,” the authors state. They continue: “We found a consistent negative association between insecticide use and population trends of insectivorous birds, the most abundant group, regardless of migration strategy.    Notably, an increase in insecticide use by only one gram per hectare, per year correlates with decreased insectivorous bird abundance by 0.16–0.28% per year.    Research shows that the depletion of insect prey is also linked to reduced reproductive success in birds. 

Pesticide Contamination Moves Through the Food Web, From Aquatic Insects to Terrestrial Birds and Bats     (Beyond Pesticides, May 15, 2026) As water bodies continue to be contaminated by pesticides and fertilizers used in chemical-intensive agriculture, international researchers find increasing threats to both aquatic and terrestrial food webs with insect transmission of pesticide residues from water to land. Published in Environmental Pollution, the study authors analyze insect species with complex life cycles “with an aquatic phase as larvae and a terrestrial phase as winged adults when they serve as prey for many aerial insectivores, such as bats and birds.” ... As a result of studying feces from birds and bats that prey on these insects, the authors find residues of 16 current-use pesticides, two legacy compounds, and six metabolites (breakdown products). The study results illustrate that pesticide contamination occurs through the ingestion of contaminated prey from aquatic systems, as all of the substances recovered in the fecal samples are detected in the water bodies within the study region.      The pesticide residues found most often, fungicides and herbicides (recently) banned in the European Union (EU) and banned or not registered for use in the U.S., are noted in 56% of the samples (155/278) from the four species tested. Most frequently detected is the fungicide prochloraz, found in 107 of the samples. The legacy compound dinoterb was detected in 46 samples, and the fungicide epoxiconazole was detected in 21 samples..   “Five substances detected (bixafen, diflufenican, dinoterb, prochloraz, simazine) are classified as critical in terms of their potential for bioconcentration and ten out of 18 detected pesticide active substances are classified to be of concern for mammal short term dietary uptake,” the researchers note. “The substances epoxiconazole and metribuzin detected in (the bat) N. noctula feces are listed as showing high chronic toxicity towards mammals, while the substances epoxiconazole, flufenacet (only detected in the martin  D. urbicum), prosulfuron (not detected in N. noctula) and tebuconazole (only detected in D. urbicum) are listed as showing chronic toxicity towards birds.”    SNAP Comment: 0 prochloraz, 0 dinoterb, 0 epoxiconazole, 2 bixafen, 4 diflufenican, 0 dinoterb, 0 prochloraz, 5 (from 25 historically) simazine, 45 (from 66) metribuzin, 0 (from 4) flufenacet,  3 prosulfuron, 82 ( from 89) tebuconazole pesticide products registered in Canada. The ones in bold either bioaccumulate, or are chronically toxic to birds and mammals.

France’s birds start to show signs of recovery after bee-harming pesticide ban    Analysis shows small hike in populations of insect-eating species after 2018 ruling, but full recovery may take decades (The Guardian, 17 November 2025)        Neonicotinoids are the world’s most common class of insecticides, widely used in agriculture and for flea control in pets. By 2022, four years after the European Union banned neonicotinoid use in fields, researchers observed that France’s population of insect-eating birds had increased by 2%-3%. These included blackbirds, blackcaps and chaffinches, which feed on insects as adults and as chicks.    The lead researcher, Thomas Perrot from the Fondation pour la recherche sur la biodiversité in Paris, said: “Even a few percentage points’ increase is meaningful – it shows the ban made a difference. Our results clearly point to neonicotinoid bans as an effective conservation measure for insectivorous birds.”      Perrot’s team analysed data on 57 bird species at these sites, each of which measured 2km by 2km (1.25 miles). They found that the numbers of insectivorous birds at pesticide-treated sites were 12% lower compared with sites where there was no neonicotinoid use.

Study Finds Increased Offspring Mortality in Pesticide-Laden Bird’s Nests    (Beyond Pesticides, February 11, 2025) In a Science of The Total Environment study, scientists test over 100 blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) and great tit (Parus major) birds’ nests for pesticide residues in comparison with the number of dead offspring and unhatched eggs within the nest. Fur-lined nests, from animals treated with ectoparasitic chemicals, expose birds to compounds that can impact reproductive success. The authors found fipronil, a phenyl pyrazole insecticide, in all nests, with the majority also containing the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid and synthetic pyrethroid insecticide permethrin. The data shows higher insecticide levels are linked to increased offspring mortality and threaten biodiversity. This study highlights an important exposure route that is overlooked.  ...the researchers highlight the study’s novel design, saying, “To the best of our knowledge, no previous studies have been performed to detect and quantify veterinary ectoparasitic drugs in the fur used for nest-building and explored the potential associated effects in these bird species.” They continue, writing, “The environmental impact of insecticides used as ectoparasitic treatments for companion animals is not well understood, since they are not subject to detailed environmental risk assessment.”'     SNAP Comment: As of 3 March 2025, there are 0 fipronil, 98 imidacloprid, and  303 permethrin containing pesticides registered by the PMRA, many for treating pets and livestock.

Raptors And Rat Poison (By Cathy Bell, Cornell Lab All About Birds, July 15, 2015)     Of 161 raptors brought in to Tufts Wildlife Clinic between 2006 and 2010, 139—a whopping 86 percent—tested positive for anticoagulant rodenticides. Ninety-nine percent of those had brodifacoum in their liver tissues. Yet only nine of these birds displayed sufficient symptoms to lead to a clinical diagnosis of anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning.   A knowledge gap, says Allen Fish, is precisely the trouble. “There’s no clear public record of where we’re putting pesticides, who’s using them, how much is being used. Until we demand that information, we’re flying blind. There needs to be a whole public reckoning of who uses what, and why. We need to track how operators are using pesticides and then see if there’s any correlation with animal kills. We don’t know these impacts. We don’t have any data.”  As for the environmentally conscious homeowner with a rodent problem, Palmer points out that “there are many effective, economical, and easy-to-use pest control options that are much better for human health and for wildlife.” (ABC offers a list at saferodentcontrol.org.)  According to Fish, snap traps offer a more humane way to kill rats than a drawn-out and painful death by poison. SNAP Comment:  Brodifacoum is usually used in rodent bait. There are 17 brodifacoum containing pesticides regiaterd in Canada in April 2024. Most are registered as commercial products, none for direct use by consumers (domestic).