Blackbirds killed by USDA for pooping on crops

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Anyone who has ever parked under the wrong tree can attest to the fact that large flocks of birds can be a nuisance, and cause economic damage.

Farmers that grow sunflowers, for instance, can see their entire crops wiped out if a large enough flock happens to hungrily descend onto their field. Large flocks of birds roosting in areas above animal food and water can contaminate both with their droppings. A flock of 200 starlings may consume 175 pounds of grain per week and contaminate even more by pooping on it as well.

When other methods fail, farmers are allowed to get rid of the pestiferous birds by having them killed. The government will even step in to help. Bye-Bye Blackbird is an aptly named government program begun in the 1960’s to help farmers get rid of nuisance birds, eventually becoming part of  the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

At least we know what caused the most recent mass bird death.

The USDA has fessed up to being responsible for poisoning hundreds of starlings that fell from the sky recently in Yankdon, South Dakota.  Apparently the birds, from a flock of 5000, were nuisances responsible for damaging a Nebraska farmer’s cattle feed by defecating on it. The farm was about 10 miles from Yankdon, and officials were surprised that the birds had made it that far before dying.

The avicide used by the USDA’s Wildlife Services Program  is a slow- acting poison called DRC-1339, “starlicide”. Specifically targeting starlings (an invasive, non-native species,) blackbirds, and magpies, this poison is rapidly metabolized and inhibits circulation, causing necrosis and congestive organ failure in as little as three hours.

The USDA insists that this incident is in no way related to the other mass bird deaths making headlines this year in Arkansas and Louisiana.

photo of brown-headed cowbird by Hilton Pond Center 2001

The Christian Science Monitor reports that the USDA often helps out farmers who have bird troubles- by poisoning them. In 2009 the USDA euthanized about 4 million blackbirds, grackles, starlings, and cowbirds. But that number does not include the uncounted numbers killed by other contractors:

In addition to the USDA program, a so-called depredation order from the US Fish and Wildlife Service allows blackbirds, grackles, and starlings to be killed by anyone who says they pose health risks or cause economic damage. Though a permit is needed in some instances, the order is largely intended to cut through red tape for farmers, who often employ private contractors to kill the birds and do not need to report their bird culls to any authority.

“Every winter, there’s massive and purposeful kills of these blackbirds,” says Greg Butcher, the bird conservation director at the National Audubon Society. “These guys are professionals, and they don’t want to advertise their work. They like to work fast, efficiently, and out of sight.”

This depradation permit can be had for $100, and according to wording on the permit itself:

A Federal Migratory Bird Depredation Permit is required to capture or kill migratory birds for depredation control
purposes. The permit authorizes certain management and control activities necessary to provide for human health and safety,
protect personal property, or allow resolution of other injury to people or property. No permit is required merely to scare or herd
depredating migratory birds other than endangered or threatened species and bald or golden eagles. You should apply for a
depredation permit only after non-lethal management proves unsuccessful.

The number of bird deaths caused by independent contractors is not known because they don’t need to report them?

Basically if you decide that bird crap is eroding your vehicle’s enamel, and you’ve tried shooing them away, it is relatively easy to get a permit to poison the birds. Unless you are an agent or trained by the USDA you wouldn’t have access to the relatively safe (for other animals at least) avicide mentioned above, so you might use another common bird-killer: strychnine. Which is definitely not safe for anything alive.

With strychnine-poisoned birds you have the danger of killing anything else that might eat them. Like your cat.

The rusty blackbird, which roosts with other types of blackbird is in decline already, and often killed as “collateral damage” when indiscriminate blackbird culling occurs.

Farmers receive compensation for damaged crops when the weather is responsible for it, so why not do the same for animal damage? Because it is easier to just kill them? If my tax dollars are going to be helping out farmers, I would much prefer them to be used in ways that do not involve killing birds.

Here is a link to APHIS charts showing the number and type of animals “dispersed”, “euthanized” or “freed”.

U.S. Geological Service’s website has a chart detailing the causes of “wildlife mortality events in order to provide timely and accurate information on locations, species and causes of death.”

How to get rid of birds

About Post Author

Carol Bell

Carol is a graduate of the University of Alabama. Her passion is journalism and it shows. Carol is our unpaid, but very efficient, administrative secretary.
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BlametheVegetarians
13 years ago

If it weren’t for all those vegetarians in the world this would have never happened. 🙂

13 years ago

An important story to be told. Good to see you back, MH!

13 years ago

For a 100 dollar permit? You have got to be kidding! Couldn’t they come up with a scent or some other tactic to prevent this?

The amount of information and the links that Mother Hen provided is incredible. I have never heard of this APHIS chart or that USGS link. Great post!

oso
13 years ago

How sad Morgan.When I run in the mornings I pass some of those little guys with the red epaulets chirping away.

13 years ago

That’s terrible. I agree, why should my tax dollars be helping kill wildlife? This is disgraceful.

I couldn’t help but think of the Tom Lehrer song, “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park,” which ends with these verses:

“So if Sunday you’re free,
Why don’t you come with me,
And we’ll poison the pigeons in the park.
And maybe we’ll do
In a squirrel or two,
While we’re poisoning pigeons in the park.

We’ll murder them amid laughter and merriment.
Except for the few we take home to experiment.
My pulse will be quickenin’
With each drop of strychnine
We feed to a pigeon.
It just takes a smidgen!
To poison a pigeon in the park.”

Reply to  Mauigirl
13 years ago

Anyone that quotes Tom Lehrer has got to be a fascinating person!

13 years ago

Very informative. Was just a city commission meeting on how to ‘address’ the problem of all the seagulls at the city pier. “Address”??? They belong there. ??? Bird shit and low swooping bandits of french fries….and there is a ‘problem’. And I live in a working hard towards sustainable, Earth First’s new east coast HQ in our little downtown…. kind of community. I strongly resonate with Mike on this.

I understood there essentially had to be poisoning among the framing habits of the notorious gov subsidy and corporate farms. This is enlightening…
and as Mike says, sad. The Ag school at Cornell used to get small bands of protesters and not so small dust ups over all the GM going on there. Large difference between GM and splicing, grafting, etc. The bumble bees waving goodbye… what is happening to us? I wonder how the birds will naturally resist the poisons?
Hitchcock, anyone?

13 years ago

Take away their roosting habitat and they will crap all over your car. Farmers should realize they are growing animal friendly food (not just birds) and that should be taken into account when they plant. Leave an acre for the birds and and use bird-scaring technology on the rest. I suppose poison is the cheaper option.

Admin
13 years ago

This story makes me sad. I understand that no one wants birds crapping on everything, and devouring crops, but surely there is a better way to deter them. Is it really necessary to kill them? As to the USDA denying the other bird kills I don’t believe it. Our government has been responsible for killing all sorts of critters, including wolves, because of whining farmers and ranchers. I am not one of these people who feels sorry for the “poor” farmer, that bastion of American life. On the contrary. The number of government subsidies they receive is beyond the pale. I’m with the blackbirds.

Reply to  Professor Mike
13 years ago

We’ve had those migrant flocks of starlings roost in our trees and the crapfest they unleash is truly unbelievable in its scope. But what gets me is that anyone can get a dispensation to poison for just about any flimsy excuse, as long as they can claim property or financial damages.

Compensate the farmers for their losses. Don’t kill the birds.

But that segment of the populace is only interested in using animals for profit, and eliminating them otherwise.

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