FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Dangerous killer toxin found in bird seed

[Wallace Coffey <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>]

TN-Birders:

I have included below a  posts from Texbirds that may be of interest to
those of you who feed birds. This appears to be a legitimate and serious.
The further you read in this post the more you learn about how widespread
this toxin is in the U.S. Evidently this problem has been known for a long
time.  It is widely known in the United Kingdom where the public is being
informed.  Evidently there has been little made public about it in this
country.  I think this will change.  Cardinals are easily killed by this
toxin.  Read on.

Let's go birding...

Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
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>Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 13:16:25 -0600
>From: Jimmy Jackson <falcojj@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Subject: [TEXBIRDS] Aflatoxin, new study, killing birds w/ kindness?
>
>---> Texbird help file http://www.texbirds.org <---
>
>Recently I received  "South Texas Wildlife" , a publication of the
>Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M , Kingsville.
>Included was an article by Dr. Scott Henke regarding the prevalence of
>of aflatoxins in much of the birdseed we backyard birders use.  Dr.
>Henke gave me permission to pass along this article to Texbirds.  For
>more information , CKWRI's website is :
>
>http://www.ckwri.tamuk.edu
>
>If these findings are even partially true,  we may be killing many birds
>
>out of kindness.
>
>Jimmy Jackson , Beeville, Tx
>
>Killing Birds With Kindness
>
>By Scott E. Henke
>
>  Americans love birds.  They love to see birds in their natural
>surroundings.  They love to count the number of bird species they can
>find in their lifetime. They love to feed birds.  They love to spend
>their money on birds.  In fact, Americans spent approximately $3.5
>billion on seed, feeders, houses, and baths for birds last year.
>  But is all this affection for birds really good for the birds?  Maybe
>not.  A series of research experiments at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife
>Research Institute has determined that feeding birds at backyard feeders
>
>can potentially harm the very creatures that Americans love so much. The
>
>harm comes from aflatoxin, a byproduct of the fungus Aspergillus flavus
>and A. parasiticus.  Aflatoxin can cause cancer, birth defects,
>mutations, and harm the immune system of animals.  The problems
>associated with aflatoxin have been known for some time.  Because of
>these problems, a safe limit has been set at no more than 20 parts per
>billion (ppb) of aflatoxin in foodstuffs destined for human consumption.
>
>Even though a scientifically-based safe limit of aflatoxin for wild
>birds has not been determined, the State of Texas arbitrarily recommends
>that no more than 50 ppb of aflatoxin be in food given to wildlife.
>However, the general belief among many wildlife biologists was that
>aflatoxin, especially in low dosages, would have little if any affect on
>wildlife.  In addition, many believed that aflatoxin was only a problem
>in the most hot and humid regions of the United States.  But two CKWRI
>wildlife researchers, Alan Fedynich and myself, did not believe these
>notions.
>
>  So we began our investigation by examining aflatoxin production on corn
>in a variety of climates and in several types of storage containers.  We
>found that although aflatoxin was best produced in a hot and humid
>climate, it was possible for aflatoxin to be produced even in cool and
>dry climates.  Also, we found that the length of time grain is in
>storage and how grain is stored can increase the probability of
>aflatoxin production.  For instance, grain that has a high moisture
>content tends to "sweat" if placed in a plastic bag.  This buildup of
>moisture in the bag can cause mold growth, which in turn can produce
>aflatoxin.  Therefore, the idea that aflatoxin was only a problem of the
>southeastern United States was determined to be false.
>  Next, we purchased bags of birdseed from grocery stores, retail stores,
>
>pet shops, and grain cooperatives throughout Texas.  Seventeen percent
>of the bags contained aflatoxin levels greater than 100 ppb and a few
>bags contained aflatoxin levels greater than 2,000 ppb.  This experiment
>
>suggested that wild birds were being exposed to aflatoxin at backyard
>feeders.
>  We continued our experiments by determining if birds could detect the
>presence of aflatoxin in grain.  We gave bobwhite quail, white-winged
>doves, and green jays free-choice to four feeders.  One feeder contained
>
>grain free from aflatoxin while the remaining feeders contained grain
>contaminated with 100, 500, and 1,000 ppb aflatoxin.  We found that
>quail and doves could not distinguish between contaminated and
>uncontaminated grain, but that green jays exhibited a tendency to avoid
>grain with aflatoxin.  Unfortunately green jays required time to make
>such a distinction and had larger appetites than the other bird
>species.  Therefore, green jays consumed as much aflatoxin-contaminated
>grain as the other birds.
>  Lastly, we investigated the acute effects of aflatoxin consumption on
>cardinals.  Cardinals were chosen because they are a common bird at
>backyard feeders, their diet consists of seeds, and they have a
>cosmopolitan distribution.  Cardinals were given various levels of
>aflatoxin once per week for four weeks.  We found that single dosages
>over 500 ppb killed the birds while lower dosages affected the normal
>functioning of the liver and kidneys of cardinals.  Our most important
>finding was that aflatoxin suppressed the function of the immune system,
>
>even in birds that were given aflatoxin dosages deemed within the safe
>zone for consumption.  Suppression of the immune system makes the body
>much more susceptible to diseases and infections that typically do not
>cause illness or death.  The AIDS virus affects the body in a similar
>manner.  Therefore, consumption of any quantity of aflatoxin potentially
>
>can be harmful to songbirds.
>  Americans need to reconsider feeding grain to birds.  Our experiments
>show that birdseed purchased in stores can contain aflatoxin, that birds
>
>may not be able to detect the presence of aflatoxin on grain, and that
>even low levels of aflatoxin can be harmful to birds.  Perhaps the
>kindest thing Americans can do for birds is to stop feeding them.

////////////////////////////////

Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 15:17:11 -0600
From: Rob Fergus <birdchaser@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [TEXBIRDS] Aflatoxin, new study, killing birds w/ kindness?

---> Texbird help file http://www.texbirds.org <---
Jimmy--thanks for bringing this to our attention. As I just posted on my
blog (urbanbirdscapes.blogspot.com), this problem seems to have attracted
more attention in the U.K, where bird conservation organizations warn their
members about the dangers of aflatoxin, while I could not find any mention
of the poison on the largest bird conservation and bird feeding websites in
the U.S.
Hopefully, with more awareness of the problem, the $3.5 billion bird feeding
industry will take greater steps to educate the public and ensure that their
products are safe for birds.

Rob Fergus Urban Birdscapes Blog
Department of Geography http://urbanbirdscapes.blogspot.com
University of Texas The Purple Martin (UT
Press:Austin 2002)
Austin, TX 78712
www.utexas.edu/utpress/books/doupur.html
Email: fergus at mail.utexas.edu




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