Comparing anticoagulant rodenticide exposure in barn owl (Tyto alba) and common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus): A biomonitoring study in an agricultural region of southeastern Spain.

Second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) are commonly used for rodent control, affecting various non-target wildlife species. Here, blood samples from common kestrels (Falco tinnunculus, n = 70 chicks) and barn owls (Tyto alba, n = 54 chicks and 12 adults) from Southeastern Spain were analysed using HPLC-TQ. SGAR prevalence was 68.

First Detection of Thiamethoxam in a Free-Ranging Insectivorous Bird After its Agricultural Use Ban in Spain.

Neonicotinoids are insecticides used worldwide in phytosanitary and biocidal products and veterinary pharmaceuticals. Recently, some restrictions and bans have been imposed due to their adverse effects on nontarget invertebrates, including pollinators. Although they may have direct and indirect effects on wild vertebrates, few studies have assessed exposure to these compounds in wild birds, so our knowledge remains limited.

Active monitoring of long-eared owl (Asio otus) nestlings reveals widespread exposure to anticoagulant rodenticides across different agricultural landscapes.

The widespread use of anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) poses a worldwide threat to farmland wildlife. These compounds accumulate in tissues of both target and non-target species, potentially endangering both direct consumers and their predators. However, investigations on ARs in blood of free-ranging predatory birds are rare.