Hundreds of insecticide products on the market contain neonicotinoid insecticides that are toxic to birds and other wildlife. They are often marketed as products for ornamental plants in either nursery or home garden settings.
To avoid these products, look for these active ingredients: acetamiprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran, imidacloprid, thiacloprid and thiamethoxam. Some of these same products go by several different distributor names, such as the Ortho™, Bayer Advanced™ or other brand names.
Inspect the label of any insecticide labeled as “systemic” for the presence of neonicotinoid active ingredients. Learn more.
Also see our 2015 report on neonicotinoids found in the dining halls of the U.S. Congress. More than 90 percent of foods sampled contained the chemicals.
Instead of using toxic mouse and rat poisons such as d-CON, try alternative methods such as trapping rodents, using snap and zap traps, eliminating food sources, and rat-proofing buildings.
Visit our rat-and-mouse control collaboration, saferodentcontrol.org, which outlines safe and effective techniques for rodent control problems.
Herbicides such as Round-up, once thought relatively safe, are now known to be toxic to wildlife and especially to aquatic organisms. Wherever possible, steer clear of these toxic products.
Instead, to control weeds, try weeding by hand or using a variety of alternatives, such as vinegar, dish soap, boiling water, and corn gluten.
The Avian Incident Monitoring System (AIMS) is a cooperative program between American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The program is dedicated to improving identification, investigation, and laboratory analysis of pesticide poisoned birds.
The Birds in Agricultural Areas (BIAA) database is a cooperative program between ABC, George Mason University, and the EPA. We hope to identify the extent to which bird species in North America use agricultural fields both geographically and seasonally as primary or incidental habitat for foraging, breeding, cover, or roosting.
We’ve made it easy to share information about birds affected by pesticides and by toxics like lead. Just visit these pages and use the icons on the left to spread the word on social media or via email!
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