Anticoagulant Rodenticides in Red-Tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) from New York City, New York, USA, 2012–18

Abstract

Anticoagulant rodenticides (AR), principally difethialone, brodifacoum, and bromadiolone, were detected in the livers of 89% of 72 red-tailed hawks ( Buteo jamaicensis) from New York City, New York, USA examined for cause of death over a 7-yr period (January 2012–December 2018). Fatal hemorrhage likely attributable to AR exposure was diagnosed in 41% (30/74) of cases, and 46% (18/39) of the cases analyzed with no gross evidence of AR-mediated hemorrhage had liver concentrations of AR that overlapped those with an AR-poisoning diagnosis. Although urban areas like New York City can support surprisingly dense populations of red-tailed hawks, the threat posed by extensive use of AR can be large.

Anticoagulant Rodenticide Contamination of Terrestrial Birds of Prey from Western Canada: Patterns and Trends, 1988–2018

“…Hawks and falcons considered to be mainly predators of other birds also had high rates of AR exposure, particularly Cooper's hawk, genus Accipiter , another species that has colonized urban and suburban environments across North America (Stout & Rosenfield, 2010). Studies from elsewhere have reported that rodent‐eating and scavenging species are generally the most exposed, particularly nocturnal owls and some Buteo species (Albert et al, 2010; Christensen et al, 2012; Hong et al, 2019; Hughes et al, 2013; Lambert et al, 2007; Lohr, 2018; Okoniewski et al, 2021; Rial‐Berriel et al, 2021). However, greatest exposures have been reported elsewhere in species considered to have other diet preferences, such as the putative snake‐eating crested serpent eagle Spilornis cheela in Taiwan (Hong et al, 2019), the bird‐eating goshawk Accipiter gentilis in Germany (Badry et al, 2021), and Eurasian kestrels on Gran Canary Island (Ruiz‐Suárez et al, 2014).…”

“…However, our previous data suggest that in more urbanized or interface habitats, targeted rats appear to provide an important pathway of exposure in owls. Regardless of whether the pathway is via target or nontarget small mammals, AR deployment in bait stations, often permanent, is contaminating birds of prey throughout the sampled areas of western Canada and in many other parts of the world (López‐Perea & Mateo, 2018; Okoniewski et al, 2021; Rial‐Berriel et al, 2021; Serieys et al, 2019; Thornton et al, 2022). Whether target or nontarget rodents are the primary pathway is perhaps not an important question unless it is possible to design bait stations to allow targeted rats to enter but exclude nontarget small mammals.…”

“…Evidence of the widespread SGAR exposure and poisoning of nontarget predators and scavengers has continued to increase (López‐Perea & Mateo, 2018; Nakayama et al, 2019; Serieys et al, 2019; Okoniewski et al, 2021; Rial‐Berriel et al, 2021; Thornton et al, 2022). Concern over their spread as contaminants has led to an intensified search for alternatives, as well as for regulatory and voluntary mitigation measures (Elliott et al, 2016; Witmer, 2018).…”

Developmental toxicity induced by brodifacoum in zebrafish (Danio rerio) early life stages

“…However, because of the widespread applications, a significant amount of BDF has a moderate potential for runoff into surface waters, agricultural soils, and other ecological systems and eventually even enters the food chain, posing a high risk to the public health (Feinstein, Brodsky, Weinberg, van Breeman, & Rubinstein, 2017). To date, there are numerous studies on BDF, but most of them mainly focus on the killing efficiency of rodents (Sell, Śniegocki, Giergie, & Posyniak, 2022; Walther et al, 2021) or secondary poisoning of terrestrial animals or birds (Moriceau et al, 2022; Niedringhaus et al, 2021; Okoniewski et al, 2021), but there are few reports on the potential toxicity of BDF to nontarget aquatic organisms. Therefore, we choose zebrafish as a model animal to investigate the toxic effects of BDF on potential environmental risks.…”

Determination of Coagulation Parameters by Whole Blood Dynamic Viscoelastic Coagulometry in Strigiformes

“…Numerous studies have detected one or more AR hepatic residues postmortem, although direct links between intoxication, hemorrhage, and mortality are difficult to evaluate, especially in the presence of trauma. [12][13][14][15][16][17] Little information is available about the sublethal effects of AR in birds of prey and antemortem assays to detect possible blood coagulation pathology secondary to AR intoxication are still under investigation. A study on brodifacoum toxicity in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) demonstrated a correlation between a prolonged PT and occurrence of hemorrhagic lesions at necropsy, but these lesions were not correlated with the ingested dose of brodifacoum nor the level of hepatic residues.…”