Theme of the Month: Pesticides and Birds

During every month of 2022, we will be exploring a new theme to display the intersectionality of pesticide-usage in the realms of  human health, the environment, wildlife, and biodiversity. For January 2022, the theme is Pesticides and Birds, in honor of National Bird Day (January 5). 

If you thought that Rachel Carson’s historic fight against pesticides resolved the threat these noxious chemicals pose to birds, you are sadly mistaken. Since 1970, the U.S. and Canada have lost nearly 30% of bird populations, with an estimated 67 million birds killed by pesticides annually. In her world-renowned exposé on the tragedies of pesticide poisoning, Rachel Carson explores the impact of chemicals such as DDT, a harmful substance which inhibits birds’ ability to reproduce. DDT was proven to inhibit birds’ and pollinators’ life cycles, causing populations such as the bald eagle and other critical species to drop significantly. Although DDT was banned in the US by the EPA in 1972, it did not result in overnight disappearance or stop pesticide-induced harm of birds. DDT, like many chemicals, persists in the environment and human bodies for decades and is still found in women’s breast milk. Other chemicals, such as neonicotinoids have been created more recently, and continue to pose a threat to bird populations locally and globally.  Recent advocacy and awareness has brought this issue to the forefront through legislation such as the Saving America’s Pollinators Act (H.R. 4079), which demands more sweeping protections of birds, pollinators and ecosystems.

Neonicotinoids, or neonics, are a class of nicotine-like pesticides (chemically related to nicotine and acting in a similar way on certain receptors in the nerve synapse), and are the most widely used insecticides in the world. Neonics were first introduced in the 1990s and were intended to fight widespread pest resistance and serve as a less toxic alternative to popular pesticides such as organophosphorus insecticides. However, similar to many other pesticides considered  “less toxic,” neonics pose their own threats to humans, wildlife, and the environment. Today, neonics can be found in a plethora of pest control products, making them hard for consumers and critical species, such as pollinators and birds, to avoid. 

There are a multitude of reasons to be concerned about widespread neonic use. Environmentally, neonics persist in soil with a half-life that can exceed 2.7 years (1,000 days) and persist in woody plants for over a year. Thus, when used repeatedly, neonics can accumulate, runoff into waterways, infiltrate groundwater sources, and be absorbed by non-target plants via their roots or pesticide deposition on leaves. Neonics are often used to treat and coat seeds, and are found on 79-100% of corn seeds, 34-44% of soybean seeds, and a high percentage of cotton and wheat seeds.. In total, an estimated 100 million acres of cropland (an area approx. the size of California) are directly exposed to neonic insecticides from corn, soybeans and cotton alone.

These environmental threats are alarming, as are the ways they ripple through ecosystems and impact species like birds and the aquatic systems many birds depend on for survival. Neonic contamination levels in both surface and groundwater in the US and globally were beyond the threshold found to kill many aquatic invertebrates 9 years ago, and use has only increased since 2013. According to a study published by the American Bird Conservancy, “a single corn kernel coated with a neonicotinoid can kill a songbird. Even a tiny grain of wheat or canola treated with the oldest neonicotinoid, imidacloprid, can poison a bird. As little as 1/10th of a corn seed per day during egg-laying season is all that is needed to affect reproduction with any of the neonicotinoids registered to date.” Other research shows that from 2008 to 2014, populations of grassland birds declined 4% annually, and insect-eating birds fell 3% annually due to neonicotinoid exposure. In addition to their devastating impact on bird communities, neonics are also a leading cause of bee decline. 

Some states are catching on to the dangers neonics pose to birds, pollinators, and the environment and are passing policies to restrict neonic use. New Jersey just passed ground-breaking legislation to limit neonic use, banning all non-agricultural use of the substance. The bill likely bans up to 70% of neonic uses in the state, a huge step in the right direction. Maine passed a similar policy in 2021, banning the use of neonics in residential landscaping and including all work done by licensed applicators such as landscapers, gardeners and pest control businesses. Currently, Congress has the opportunity to act to protect America’s birds, pollinators, people and environment from the threats posed by neonics with the Saving America’s Pollinators Act (H.R. 4079). Sign this petition to urge Congress to take action and restrict neonics, establish a Pollinator Protection Board, and improve the monitoring of pollinator populations. It takes a village to stand up to powerful chemical corporations - we hope you’ll join us in creating safer, more sustainable habits for all- birds, bees, humans and beyond!