New paper involving PBMS data published on long-term trends of rodenticide contamination in sparrowhawks

Second generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) are widely used to control rodents around the world. However, contamination by SGARs is detectable in many non-target species, particularly carnivorous mammals or birds-of-prey that hunt or scavenge on poisoned rodents. The SGAR trophic transfer pathway via rodents and their predators/scavengers appears widespread, but little is known of other pathways of SGAR contamination in non-target wildlife. This is despite the detection of SGARs in predators that do not eat rodents, such as specialist bird-eating hawks.

The authors used a Bayesian modelling framework to examine the extent and spatio-temporal trends of SGAR contamination in the livers of 259 Eurasian Sparrowhawks, a specialist bird-eating raptor, in regions of Britain during 1995–2015.

SGARs, predominantly difenacoum, were detected in 81% of birds, with highest concentrations in males and adults. 

Please see https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120269 or navigate to our publications area for all of the papers using expertise, samples or data provided by the PBMS.