Toxicology of Raptor Birds

Toxicology of Raptor Birds

Raptors, otherwise known as birds of prey, can live almost anywhere as long as they have access to small organisms to eat. Their diet consists of fish, small birds, or rodents.

DDT is a toxin that is used to prevent malaria and to kill insects

DDT persists in organisms for an indefinite amount of times and gets magnified throughout the food chain

When birds of prey eat fish that have a magnified amount of DDT, they then accumulate an even greater concentration of DDT.

While the effects of DDT don't kill the birds outright, they do cause their eggshells to thin.

This thinning of eggshells makes it impossible for new birds to hatch, leading to the population decreasing and even extinction in severe cases.

In 1972 the United States banned the use of DDT.

The ban on DDT helped the raptor population greatly. They were able to successfully reproduce again and bring their population numbers up.