Use of Starling Nest Boxes for Field Reproductive Studies: Provisional Guidance Document and Technical Support Document

摘要

The report proposes nest box field testing guidelines for determining reproductive effects of agricultural pesticides on European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) and provides background information and justification for the procedures and methodology described. Investigation of the effects of pesticides on birds has generally been limited to either laboratory tests of pen-reared species or to small-scale studies of captive birds. Previous studies have focused mainly on gallinaceous and/or waterfowl species. The information on the toxicity of various compounds to these species has been extrapolated to other bird species, inherently introducing a substantial amount of potential error. In order to reduce this error, it is necessary to expand the number of species tested and vary the conditions under which the testing occurs.