Photo credit: Bob Adams

Another study has found residues of neonicotinoid pesticides in birds.  This study, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment,  investigated the presence of neonicotinoids in a migrant raptor called the honey buzzard that feeds on wasp larvae and pollinating bumble bees. The study tested blood samples of both adult and nestling birds and found detectable limits of neonicotinoids in the majority of samples. They also found that neonicotinoid presence in bird blood samples corresponded with the presence of neonicotinoid-treated crops. “These are the first observations of neonicotinoids in a diurnal raptor. For better understanding the potential negative sub-lethal of neonicotinoids in wild vertebrates, new (experimental) studies are needed,” the authors concluded.