Research by the University of Saskatchewan provides “the first direct evidence that neonicotinoids can harm songbirds and their migration,” said the Guardian. The study, which found that birds exposed to a neonicotinoid called imidacloprid lost weight and their sense of direction, “adds to small but growing research suggesting the pesticides may damage wildlife beyond bees and other insects.”
The Guardian says neonicotinoids are the most widely used insecticides in the world. For the study, researchers focused on the effect of imidacloprid on white-crowned sparrows, which spend the summer in northern Canada and winter in the U.S. South and Mexico. The birds were given doses of the insecticide equivalent to the amount used to protect a kernel of corn from harmful insects in the soil. The birds lost up to 25 percent of their weight and were unable to identify the way north.
Bayer, one of the companies that make neonicotinoids, said imidacloproid “has minimal environmental impact when used according to the label, including ingestion by seed-eating songbirds.” The EU has restricted the use of neonicotinoids since 2013. Canada is considering whether to ban them, said the Guardian.