Red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) were collected during an epizootic in southeastern North Carolina (USA). Activity of brain cholinesterase (ChE) was inhibited by 14 to 48% in three of five specimens, and returned to normal levels after incubation. Gastrointestinal tracts were analyzed for 30 anti-ChE agents. Carbofuran, the only compound detected, was present in all specimens at levels from 5.44 to 72.7 μg/g wet weight. Application of granular carbofuran in an adjacent corn field, results of necropsy examinations, and chemical analyses are consistent with a diagnosis of carbofuran poisoning in these specimens.
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1 January 1996
Mortality of Passerines Adjacent to a North Carolina Corn Field Treated with Granular Carbofuran
Tom Augspurger,
Milton R. Smith,
Carol U. Meteyer,
Kathryn A. Converse
Journal of Wildlife Diseases
Vol. 32 • No. 1
January 1996
Vol. 32 • No. 1
January 1996
Agelaius phoeniceus
anticholinesterase poisoning
carbofuran
Furadan®
North Carolina
passerines
Red-winged blackbirds