Pet pet flea treatments are poisoning wild birds: study

High levels of harmful pesticides from pet fleas treatments to animal furry nests are leading to increased mortality rates.

A recent study reveals that fleas and tick treatments of pets are poisoning wild birds. The study found that songs of songs that collect and line up their pet’s nests are in greater danger.

“No nest was free from insecticides in our study, and this significant presence of harmful chemicals can have devastating consequences on the population of birds in the UK,” said the main author of the study, ecotoxicologist Cannelle Tassin de Montaigu, a post -doctoral researcher at the University of Sussex, where she specializes in the University of Sussex. conservation.

“Our research shows that, based on discovered chemicals, veterinary fleas and tick medicines are the most likely source of pollution,” Dr Tassin de Montaigu added.

Dr. Tassin De Montaigu and collaborators came to this conclusion after analyzing 103 excellent nests and excellent nests for the presence of 20 different insecticides. They discovered 17 of these poisons in the fur that the birds used to line up their nests. The nest was collected by the volunteers of the British Trust for Ornithology as part of the nesting scheme.

Dr. Tassin de Montaigu and associates identified somewhere from 2 to 11 different insecticides in each nest, including fipronil, which was present in 100% of nests, and imidacloprid and permethrin in 89% of nests. Fipronil is banned in the UK for agricultural use (more here) and in the US as a “potential human carcinogen” (more here – US information about these poisons is included for my American readers). Imidacloprid have been banned for agricultural use since 2018 by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) because it represents a risk to wild bees and bees (more here). Apparently, Imidacloprid is not prohibited in the US, although some states limit its use. Permethrin has been partially banned for agricultural uses in the EU (more here) and is listed as a “limited use” substance by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) due to its high toxicity to water organisms (more here).

And yet, despite all these risks known to wildlife and the environment, all three pesticides are still widely used in tick and flea treatments for pets. Owners of pets often make things worse by tiring their animals out.

“Many pets owners leave wool out after painting their pet, hoping that it will be used by birds like blue cisa and excellent cisa to line up their nests,” Dr Tassin de Montaigu said in email.

“While this practice may seem harmless and even useful, our study has found that chemicals commonly used in animal fleas and tick treatments (eg, fipronil, immidacloprid, permethrin) make their way into bird nests. Tassin de Montaigu in email.

These poisons are usually found in shampoos, spraying and on -site treatments for pets and/or livestock.

Dr. Tassin De Montaigu and associates reported that there was clear evidence that these insecticides are harmful to wild birds. The nests of contaminated birds contain a larger number of Eggs or dead boys – and the number of death increased while the number of insecticides increased, as the overall concentration of insecticides increased, or in the nest with a higher concentration of fipronil, immidacloprid or permethrin (figure 3). This suggests that the exposure of birds of birds to insecticides to lining of pets can lead to mortality and lower reproductive success.

What did you surprise you most about these findings?

“What was most surprising was that no nest was without insecticides,” Dr. Tassin de Montaigu told me in email.

Equally worrying were the high concentrations of pesticides in each nest – even months after the breeding season was over and the surviving boys had left.

“The observed levels were also disturbing, especially that we gathered the wool from the nests months after the breeding season, so the waste levels we have noticed are likely to be lower than those present in the nest in the spring of that year.”

“As the awareness of this issue increases, pet owners, scientists and policymakers all play a role to play in ensuring that veterinary treatments do not come at the cost of wildlife,” Dr. Tassin de Montaigu told me.

“With careful consideration and responsible use of flea treatments, it can be possible to protect both pets and wildlife. The most important part is for the government to ensure that there is a greater assessment of the environmental risk of veterinary drugs, especially with regard to concomitant animals. “

More than half of all singers in the UK have been threatened or declining, so it is important that pet owners, scientists and politics -makers to act quickly to prevent further damage.

“We are a nation of pets lovers and bird lovers, and it is extremely disturbing to see alarming levels of toxic pesticides in bird nests from veterinary drugs,” said Susan Morgan, chief executive of Songbird Survival, who funded the study. “Pet owners will be upset when they hear that in trying to do the right thing to support their pets with fleas and ticks, they can damage our ecosystem, resulting in the newborn dead and unworthy eggs. As owners of pets, we must keep our pets well.”

Are there any safer alternatives to poisons currently used by pets industry?

“We cannot confirm that an alternative is safer, simply because there is no research on it, not at least,” replied Dr. Tassin De Montaigu in the email.

It is important to note that flea treatments for pets are usually used.

“Moreover, most cats and dogs do not need to be treated for fleas and ticks, especially in the winter months, when fleas and ticks are scarce,” explained Dr. Tassin de Montaigu in email.

“Preventive use of flea treatment is the question: If your pet does not have fleas, then why treat it? This can be regularly checked during washing or with a special comb,” elaborated on Dr. Tassin de Montaigu in email. “We wouldn’t treat children for lice every month like a prevention, why do we do with pets?”

Source:

Cannelle Tassin de Montaigu, Gaetan Glauser, Sylvie Guinchard and Dave Gulson (2025). High prevalence of veterinary drugs in bird nests, The science of the general environment, 964: 178439 | DOI: 10.1016/j.Scototenv.2025.178439

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