Pollutions and Toxins
In addition to the well-publicized large oil spills or superfund toxic sites, our environment is being polluted every day by a range of different threats, ranging from pesticide use to lead in ammunition and fishing tackle to acid rain, trash, and heavy metal output from factories and power plants. Birds are highly sensitive to these toxins and suffer large-scale mortality as a result. They also suffer a range of sub-lethal effects that result in decreased life-spans and reproduction.
Light is also a pollutant that causes direct mortality to birds by confusing their nocturnal navigation mechanisms and drawing birds in to collide with man-made structures such as communication towers, buildings, and wind farms.
ABC works to address the major toxic impacts and pollution threats to birds. ABC's Pesticides and Birds program has led the way in the bird conservation community, and has helped reduce bird deaths from pesticides from as much as 60 million per year to possible as low as 15 million per year. Learn more in this section about how birds are affected by pesticides, lead and heavy metals, light, and marine trash, and what you can do to help.
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