Declines in insectivorous birds are associated with high neonicotinoid concentrations
Abstract
Recent studies have shown that neonicotinoid insecticides have adverse effects on non-target invertebrate species. Invertebrates constitute a substantial part of the diet of many bird species during the breeding season and are indispensable for raising offspring. We investigated the hypothesis that the most widely used neonicotinoid insecticide, imidacloprid, has a negative impact on insectivorous bird populations. Here we show that, in the Netherlands, local population trends were significantly more negative in areas with higher surface-water concentrations of imidacloprid. At imidacloprid concentrations of more than 20 nanograms per litre, bird populations tended to decline by 3.5 per cent on average annually. Additional analyses revealed that this spatial pattern of decline appeared only after the introduction of imidacloprid to the Netherlands, in the mid-1990s. We further show that the recent negative relationship remains after correcting for spatial differences in land-use changes that are known to affect bird populations in farmland. Our results suggest that the impact of neonicotinoids on the natural environment is even more substantial than has recently been reported and is reminiscent of the effects of persistent insecticides in the past. Future legislation should take into account the potential cascading effects of neonicotinoids on ecosystems.
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Agricultural intensification, including the disappearance of field margins and new crop protection methods, has been associated with an overall decline of biodiversity in plants, insects, birds and other species in the current landscape.
“Agricultural intensification, including the disappearance of field margins and new crop protection methods has been associated with an overall decline of biodiversity in plants, insects, birds and other species in the current landscape [20, 27, 67].”
From More than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas (2017) · cites this paper as [67]
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- Authors
- Hallmann, C. A., Foppen, R. P. B., van Turnhout, C. A. M., de Kroon, H., & Jongejans, E.
- Affiliations
- Radboud University Nijmegen (NL)
- Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Hallmann, Caspar A.
- Venue
- Nature
- Published
- 2014-07
- Volume
- 511
- Issue
- 7509
- Pages
- 341-343
- ISSN
- 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-4687
- OpenAlex
- W2080384232
- Cited by
- 1,052
- References
- 26
- Citations by year
- 2026: 64 · 2025: 62 · 2024: 106 · 2023: 102 · 2022: 106 · 2021: 110 · 2020: 101 · 2019: 114 · 2018: 77 · 2017: 60 · 2016: 66 · 2015: 64 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 49.06
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Radboud Repository (Radboud University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pesticide and Herbicide Environmental Studies
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Avian ecology and behavior
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Insect Science › Insect and Pesticide Research
- Keywords
- neonicotinoids, imidacloprid, insectivorous birds, population decline (ecology), surface water contamination, pesticide exposure, land use change, non-target invertebrates, Netherlands
- MeSH terms
- Neonicotinoids, Agriculture, Animals, Birds, Diet, Environmental Monitoring, Imidazoles, Insecticides, Insecta, Netherlands, Nitro Compounds, Population Dynamics, Water Pollutants, Food Chain
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