Residues of organochlorine compounds in starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), 1979

Starlings were collected for the National Pesticides Monitoring Program from 112 sites throughout the contiguous United States and analyzed for organochlorine compounds. Starling samples from 14 sites had greater than 1.0 ppm DDE residues with the highest DDE level being 15.8 ppm in a sample taken near Roswell, New Mexico. The occurrence of PCBs and chlordane isomers increased since the 1976 collection, but DDT, DDE, and dieldrin occurrence decreased. DDE and dieldrin levels decreased since the 1976 collection, but the level of PCBs has increased.