[TN-Bird] Cornell staffer response to bird feed Aflatoxin
- From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "1-A TN-Birds" <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 10:45:45 -0500
TN-Birders:
Ron Harrington on Bristol Virginia contacted the Cornell Feeder Watch
project staff to get their feedback on the toxin problem that is moving thru
birding listservers. A staff member replied with the following. Read on
below.
Let's go birding....
Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
--------------------------------FORWARD MESSAGE BEGINS----------------
"We are working on a reply to these posts. The research reported is the only
research we are aware of that has looked at this issue, and the researcher
only appears to have tested grains and seed mixes high in corn. There's no
indication that he has tested sunflower seeds. Further, this toxin occurs
widely in
nature, and there's no indication from this research how much is safe.
Consequently, we don't know much about this toxin and its effects, but we
will be
formulating what we can into a response and posting it on our electronic
newsletter. We do know that it is safe to feed birds. Feeder bird
populations have
remained stable or increased since people started feeding them. Cardinals,
the
bird he tested, are expanding their range.
If you are not subscribed to the newsletter, you can sign up by following
the
electronic newsletter link on our home page."
Anne Marie Johnson
Project Assistant
-------------------------------------END FORWARD---------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "1-A TN-Birds" <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2004 2:30 PM
Subject: [TN-Bird] Dangerous killer toxin found in bird seed
> 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
> -------------------------------BEGIN
> FORWARD------------------------------------
>
> >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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> Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
> wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
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> ========================================================
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>
=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================
The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with
first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation.
-----------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------
To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
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-----------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, send email to:
tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society
Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
endorse the views or opinions expressed
by the members of this discussion group.
Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp
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