TY - JOUR
T1 - Pesticides and veterinary pharmaceuticals in neotropical avian carnivores
T2 - A scoping review
AU - Colston, Kane
AU - Rooney, Nicola J
AU - Logunleko, Mariam O
AU - Cherbanich, Nick
AU - Grande, Juan Manuel
AU - Bueno Padilla, Irene
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Authors
PY - 2025/3/1
Y1 - 2025/3/1
N2 - Organic contaminants have long been known to have negative consequences for wildlife health. For avian carnivores, particular concern surrounds the use of compounds such as pesticides and pharmaceutical drugs, derived from global agricultural and veterinary practices. Previous cases of avian poisoning in North America, Europe and Asia have received great attention, owing to significant declines in avian populations and wider consequences. By contrast, the Neotropics, comprised of Latin America and the Caribbean, has received relatively little attention, despite an extensive agricultural sector and uniquely high avian biodiversity. To evaluate the available evidence on this topic, a scoping review on the effects of agriculturally derived organic contaminants on Neotropical avian carnivores was conducted. Articles from seven databases were screened using exclusion criteria. Of these, 206 primary research articles published since 1965 were identified, investigating 144 compounds in 83 species. Findings indicate substantial knowledge gaps, particularly in observational studies conducted within the Neotropics. Whilst cross-sectional studies were fairly well-represented, with transitions towards less-invasive sampling methods, there were few longitudinal studies, raising concerns of undetected chronic exposure in Neotropical populations. Multiple avian taxonomic families were underrepresented, including globally recognized sentinel species – the osprey and barn owl, as were pharmaceutical drugs in comparison to pesticides. There was a large geographical bias in observational study location, with no research outputs identified from most Neotropical countries. Further research in the Neotropics is required to better understand the pervasiveness of contaminants in native populations, along with improving our understanding of their precise consequences on avian carnivore health.
AB - Organic contaminants have long been known to have negative consequences for wildlife health. For avian carnivores, particular concern surrounds the use of compounds such as pesticides and pharmaceutical drugs, derived from global agricultural and veterinary practices. Previous cases of avian poisoning in North America, Europe and Asia have received great attention, owing to significant declines in avian populations and wider consequences. By contrast, the Neotropics, comprised of Latin America and the Caribbean, has received relatively little attention, despite an extensive agricultural sector and uniquely high avian biodiversity. To evaluate the available evidence on this topic, a scoping review on the effects of agriculturally derived organic contaminants on Neotropical avian carnivores was conducted. Articles from seven databases were screened using exclusion criteria. Of these, 206 primary research articles published since 1965 were identified, investigating 144 compounds in 83 species. Findings indicate substantial knowledge gaps, particularly in observational studies conducted within the Neotropics. Whilst cross-sectional studies were fairly well-represented, with transitions towards less-invasive sampling methods, there were few longitudinal studies, raising concerns of undetected chronic exposure in Neotropical populations. Multiple avian taxonomic families were underrepresented, including globally recognized sentinel species – the osprey and barn owl, as were pharmaceutical drugs in comparison to pesticides. There was a large geographical bias in observational study location, with no research outputs identified from most Neotropical countries. Further research in the Neotropics is required to better understand the pervasiveness of contaminants in native populations, along with improving our understanding of their precise consequences on avian carnivore health.
KW - Agricultural
KW - Bird
KW - Carnivore
KW - Neotropical
KW - Pesticide
KW - Pollutant
KW - Scoping review
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85217277678&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178795
DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178795
M3 - Article (Academic Journal)
C2 - 39946884
AN - SCOPUS:85217277678
SN - 0048-9697
VL - 967
JO - Science of The Total Environment
JF - Science of The Total Environment
M1 - 178795
ER -