Effects on Birds

Mercury poisoning in birds is characterized by muscular incoordination, falling, slowness, fluffed feathers, calmness, withdrawal, hyperactivity or hypoactivity, and eyelid drooping (Scheuhammer 1987,1991). Similar to humans (see Section 17.6.5), adverse effects may occur in many organs, but reproductive and behavioral effects are the primary concern (Eisler 1987, Scheuhammer 

methylmercury has been shown to be more toxic than inorganic mercury. Frank neurological signs are associated 

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Turtle, E.E., Taylor, A., and Wright, E.N. et al. (1963). The effects on birds of certain chlorinated insecticides used as seed dressings. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 14, 567-577. 

Clements, R.O. and J.S. Bale. 1988. The short-term effects on birds and mammals of the use of chlorpyrifos to control leatherjackets in grassland. Ann. Appl. Biol. 112 41-47. 

Table 19.3 Famphur Effects on Birds Route of Administration, Organism, Dose,...

Infections such as Salmonella or Campylobacter may not have marked effects on bird health, but when they occur in eggs or meat can present a risk for the human consumer. 

How general is the effect on birds Specifically, to what extent do several species of wild woodland birds - as opposed to those who visit our backyards - avoid MA-treated food ... 

The effects of EDCs were first discovered in wildlife in the 1970s. It was found that extremely low concentration levels of these can have powerful deleterious effects on the reproduction of wildlife. Human effects were not studied until much later because most EDCs are neither mutagenic nor acutely toxic at the ambient concentrations found to have endocrine disruption effects on wildlife. It was also believed that effects on birds and turtles were not necessarily indicators of human toxicity. This, however, turned out to be exactly the case. Though toxic effects of chemicals are not always similar for different species of animals, they are just that for endocrine disruptors. The effects of EDCs on birds and amphibians are exactly analogous to those on humans. 

A refined risk assessment and specific higher-tiered studies related to this assessment (e.g., field studies) should not only demonstrate that no unacceptable effects on birds/mammals occur under practical conditions of use, but also demonstrate why those effects will not occur. One possibility to describe the... 

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