Pesticides and herbicides largest cause of bird decline in Europe (1 Viewer)

[radix023]

A study, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences:

Use of pesticides and herbicides found to be biggest cause of bird decline in Europe

A large team of ornithologists, zoologists, biologists and ecologists from across Europe and the U.K. has found that the chief cause of declining bird populations in Europe and the U.K. is the use of pesticides and herbicides by farmers. In their study, reported in Proceedings of the National...

phys.org

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2216573120

https://www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10.1073/pnas.2216573120

 

[chowchilla]

This should surprise precisely no one.

There's plenty of good habitat where birds have simply disappeared. The same cause is the primary culprit in the massive drop in insect numbers - seeing as they are the primary target of those biocides. The knock-on effect of being unable to raise chicks due to lack of insects is inevitable. It has been known for decades that some of the biggest declines have been in farmland birds.

 

[Scott98]

And of course the pesticides are doing the same thing to our health. Here in the USA, the rate of cancer and neurological diseases is about 10x higher than it was in 1900. Many synthetic pesticides that are banned in the EU are still legal and in widespread use in USA commercial agriculture.

All food before World War II was 100% organic. That's an interesting fact to ponder these days. Has western civilization really "advanced", or are we moving backward?

 

[Dawna_56]

I'm in Boston, Massachusetts, and in recent years there's been a noticeable drop in the number of nighthawks here in the city. I asked some bird specialist why that's so, and she told me it's because of new roof building materials in recent years. It's not like all the old buildings here had their roofs replaced . I use to hear their call at sundown and on through the night every summer. The past few summers not one mosquito entered my apartment through any crack, and no more leafhoppers under my apartment lamps at night like there used to be..

There used to be a lot of starlings who'd roost on the trees outside. Every autumn they'd roost and make their squeaky scissors song. I believe the grocery store across the street started using bird repellent along with cutting down their trees removing one of their roosting places.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Whilst it is unsurprising, I remain disappointed by the failure of the wildlife and conservation charities to deliver key messages on both this topic and also removal of habitat and vegetation. This is where key messages can be delivered.

All the best

Paul