Comparative acute oral toxicity of pesticides to six species of birds

Acute oral LD50 values were determined for 16 common pesticides on mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos), ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus), chukar partridges (Alectoris graeca), coturnix quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica), common pigeons (Columba livia), and house sparrows (Passer domesticus). Analyses of the data revealed that (1) the average sensitivity of any one species to the 16 pesticides did not differ statistically from that of any other species, and (2) at the same time, the species varied widely in their sensitivity to any given compound. The average range of the LD50 values for single chemicals in the 6 species was nearly 10-fold. With differences of this magnitude, it is recommended that extrapolation of toxicity data from one species to another be avoided.