Widely used pesticides found in Ontario wild turkeys: study
Widely used pesticides blamed for decimating honeybee and other pollinator populations have found their way into wild turkeys in Ontario, according to a new study from Canadian researchers.
Scientists with the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph and Environment and Climate Change Canada examined the livers of 40 wild turkeys in southern Ontario and found nine had detectable levels of neonicotinoids, a group of insecticides that coat the seeds of cash crops such as corn and soy beans to protect them from pests. The insecticide is taken up by the plant and distributed through its tissue as it grows.
Researchers found two types of neonicotinoids — clothianidin and thiamethoxam — in the turkey livers, according to the study published in the June issue of the journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research.
Studies have shown that various neonicotinoids used to protect crops have contributed to the die-off of honeybees and other pollinators, like bumblebees, and also led to death and reproductive problems among smaller birds.