This field study used a precise method of assessing effects of insecticides on bird populations by establishing a marked population before application and determining survival rates of known individuals after application of the insecticides. We investigated the effects of two organophosphate granular insecticides applied to cornfields in southwestern Ontario to combat the corn rootworm (Diabrotica spp.). Nine control fields and 11 treated fields, six of which were treated with Fonofos (Dyfonate 20G) and five treated with Terbufos (Counter 15G), were chosen. A colour-banded population of 228 Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia) was established and numbers monitored before and after application of the insecticides. Activity watches showed that territorial individuals spent at least some of their time foraging on the cornfields. There was no evidence that the insecticides affected the survivorship of either male or female Song Sparrows in the test population. Results from analyses of counts suggest no dramatic impact in three other species of passerines (Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris, Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis and Vesper Sparrow Pooecetes gramineus). Sublethal effects of the insecticides on reproductive success of the Song Sparrow population were investigated. Ninety-one nests were found and their outcome (successful or failed) determined. Nest watches showed that parents collected some food for their young from cornfields in at least half of the nests. None of the reproductive parameters measured - reproductive success, clutch size, number of unhatched eggs, number of young fledged per nest - differed among the two types of treated fields and the control fields. In conclusion, the Song Sparrows studied were not ingesting the insecticide granules in lethal doses or in amounts sufficient to affect reproductive success and, hence, no differences in survivorship of adults nor in those reproductive parameters measured among the three field types were detected.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Balcomb, R. (1983) Secondary poisoning of Red-shouldered Hawks with carbofuran. J. Wildl. Manage. 47, 1129–32.
Balcomb, R., Bowen, C.A.I., Wright, D. and Law, M. (1984a) Effects on wildlife of at-planting corn applications of granular carbofuran. J. Wildl. Manage. 48(4), 1353–9.
Balcomb, R., Stevens, R. and Bowen, C.I. (1984b) Toxicity of 16 granular insecticides to wildcaught songbirds. Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 33, 302–7.
Best, L.B. (1992) Characteristics of corn rootworm insecticide granules and the grit used by cornfield birds: evaluating potential avian risks. Am. Midl. Nat. 128, 126–38.
Best, L.B. and Fischer, D.L. (1992) Granular insecticides and birds: factors to be considered in understanding exposure and reducing risk. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 11, 1495–508.
Best, L.B. and Gionfriddo, J.P. (1991a) Characterization of grit use by cornfield birds. Wilson Bull. 103(1), 68–82.
Best, L.B. and Gionfriddo, J.P. (1991b) Integrity of five granular insecticide carriers in House Sparrow gizzards. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 10, 1487–92.
Best, L.B., Whitmore, R.C. and Booth, G.M. (1990) Use of cornfields by birds during the breeding season: the importance of edge habitat. Am. Midl. Nat. 123, 84–99.
Booth, G., Carter, M.W., Fischer, D.L., Jorgensen, C.D., Best, L.B. and Whitmore, R.C. (1986) Effects of Furadan Formulations 10G and 15G on Birds Associated with Iowa and Illinois Corn fields. Philadelphia, PA: FMC Corporation report.
Edwards, P.J., Brown, S.M., Fletcher, M.R. and Stanley, P.I. (1979) The use of a bird territory mapping method for detecting mortality following pesticide application. Agro-Ecosystems 5, 271–82.
Environment Canada (1982) Canadian Climate Normals: Temperature and Precipitation 1951–1980, Ontario. Canadian Climate Program, Ottowa: Atmospheric Environment Service UDC.
Erbach, D.C. and Tollefson, J.J. (1983) Granular insecticide application for corn rootworm control. Trans. Am. Soc. Agricult. Engng. 26, 696–9.
Fite, E.C., Turner, L.W., Cook, N.J. and Stunkard, C.S. (1988) Guidance Document for Conducting Terrestrial Field Studies. Washington, DC: US Environmental Protection Agency, Ecological Effects Branch, Hazard Evaluation Division, Office of Pesticide Programs.
Flickinger, E.L., King, K.A., Stout, W.F. and Mohn, M.M. (1980) Wildlife hazards from Furadan 3G applications to rice in Texas. J. Wildl. Manage. 44, 190–7.
Grue, C.E., Hart, A.D.M. and Mineau, P. (1991) Biological consequences of depressed brain cholinesterase activity in vertebrates. In P., Mineau ed. Cholinesterase Inhibiting Insecticides — Their Impact on Wildlife and the Environment, Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Herman, S.G. and Bulger, J.B. (1979) Effects of a forest application of DDT on nontarget organisms. Wildl. Monogr. 69, 62.
Hill, E.F. and Camardese, M.B. (1984) Toxicity of anticholinesterase insecticides to birds: technical grade versus granular formulations. Ecotoxicol. Environ. Safety 8, 551–63.
Hummel, J.W. (1983) Incorporation of granular soil insecticides by corn planters. In 1983 Summer Meeting of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers, Bozeman, MO, 14.
Knapton, R.W. (1973) Some ecological aspects of social behaviour in the Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia). MSc thesis, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Knapton, R.W. and Krebs, J.R. (1974) Settlement patterns, territory size and breeding density in the Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia). Can. J. Zool. 52, 1413–20.
Maze, R.C., Atkins, R.P., Mineau, P. and Collins, B.T. (1991) Measurement of pesticide residue in seedling operations. Trans. Am. Soc. Agricult. Engnrs 34(3), 795–9.
Mineau, P. (1988) Avian mortality in agro-ecosystems: 1. The case against granular insecticides in agroecosystems. In M.P., Greaves, P.W., Greig-Smith and B.D., Smith eds. Field Methods for the Study of Environmental Effects of Pesticides, pp. 3–12. Thornton Heath, UK: British Crop Protection Council.
Mineau, P. (1993) The Hazard of Carbofuran to Birds and Other Vertebrate Wildlife. Technical Report No. 177, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, Ottowa.
Mineau, P., Boersma, D.C. and Collins, B. (1994). An analysis of avian reproduction studies submitted for pesticide registration. Ecotoxicol. Environ. Safety 29.
Mineau, P. and Collins, B.T. (1988) Avian mortality in agro-ecosystems 2. Methods of detection. In M.P., Greaves, B.D., Smith and P.W., Grieg-Smith eds. Field Methods for the Study of Environmental Effects of Pesticides, pp. 13–27. Croydon, UK: British Crop Protection Council.
Ministry of Agriculture and Food (1988) 1989–1990 Field Crop Recommendations. Ontario: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food Publication No. 296.
Moxley, J. (1989) Survey of Pesticide use in Ontario, 1988. Toronto, Ontario: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food Economics Information Report No. 89-08.
Nice, M.M. (1964) Studies in the life history of the Song Sparrow, Vol 1. New York: Dover Publications.
Smith, G.J. (1987) Pesticide Use and Toxicology in Relation to Wildlife: Organophosphorus and Carbamate Compounds. Washington, DC: US Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service Resource Publication No. 170.
Stinson, E.R., Hayes, L.E., Bush, P.B. and White, D.H. (In press) Carbofuran affects wildlife on Virginia cornfields. Wildlife Society Bulletin.
US Environmental Protection Agency (1989) Carbofuran: Special Review Technical Support Document. Washington, DC: US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pesticide Programs.
US Environmental Protection Agency (1991) Granular Carbofuran: Conclusion of Special Review Technical Support Document. US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pesticide Programs.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Knapton, R.W., Mineau, P. Effects of granular formulations of terbufos and fonofos applied to cornfields on mortality and reproductive success of songbirds. Ecotoxicology 4, 138–153 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00122173
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00122173