Abstract
The death of buzzards (Buteo buteo) found in fodder and sugar beet fields treated with granular carbofuran was investigated. To determine if there was a causal relationship between carbofuran treatment and bird mortality, earthworms of a specific fodder beet field as well as the crop contents of dead buzzards were analyzed for carbofuran contamination. Earthworms of the fodder beet field contained carbofuran concentrations up to 3.2 mg/kg, while remains of earthworms and carbofuran were detected in all buzzard crop contents. The carbofuran concentrations found in the earthworms as well as in the crops of the buzzards corroborate the suspicion that the buzzards found on fodder and sugar beet fields treated with granular carbofuran had died of secondary poisoning with carbofuran via contaminated earthworms.
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Dietrich, D.R., Schmid, P., Zweifel, U. et al. Mortality of birds of prey following field application of granular carbofuran: A case study. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 29, 140–145 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00213099
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00213099