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Controlling Blackbirds and Starlings at Winter Roosts Using Pa-14
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Heisterberg, Jon F. Stickley, Allen R. Garner, Kara Marie Foster, Penny D. |
| Copyright Year | 1987 |
| Abstract | The only EPA-registered chemical for lethal control of winter roost ing blackbird ( Ic ter inae) and European s tar l ing (Sturnus vulgar is) populat ions is Compound PA-14 Avian Lethal Agent (PA-14). Between 1978 and 1987, 39 PA-14 spray operat ions, 15 by hel icopter and 24 by ground-based spray systems, have been conducted at 33 winter roosts in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama. In-roost bird mor ta l i ty for the aerial operations have been poor, averaging only 4% of the pretreatment roost populations or 114,000 birds k i l l e d per spray operat ion. Although very laborin tensive, a ground-based spr ink ler system appl icat ion method has proven much more successful , averaging 67% in-roost b i rd mor ta l i t y for 17 spray operations or 287,000 birds k i l l e d per operation. A much less laborintensive ground-based spray system using" a pivotal water cannon and chemical in jector pump is presently being developed and tested. Results of 7 test sprays conducted in 1986 and 1987 showed an average 57% in-roost bird mor ta l i ty (203,000 birds k i l l e d per spray operation) and i n v e s t i gations into the bi rd control uses and l im i ta t ions of th is system are cont inuing. INTRODUCTION Blackbirds and s tar l ings often establ ish large winter roosts in urban and rural areas of the Midsouth. T/USDA-APHIS-ADC, Denver W i l d l i f e Research Center, Kentucky Research Sta t ion , 334 15th St reet , Bowling Green, KY 42101 2/USDA-APHIS-ADC, Point Place 1 , Suite 340, 441 Donelson Pike, Nashvi l le , TN 37214 3/Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Division of Plant Industries, Box 40627 Melrose Station, Nashville, TN 37204 These roosts are often objectionable from agricultural, health, aesthetic, and nuisance standpoints. Public concern over these roosts has increased during the past 20 years, prompting Federal personnel involved in animal damage control research to intensify efforts to develop improved lethal control techniques for roosting birds. The only EPA-registered chemical for lethal control of roosting blackbirds and starlings is Compound PA-14 Avian Lethal Agent (a-Alkyl[Cll-C15]-omegahydroxypolyCoxyethylene]), a non-ionic surfactant with excellent wetting characteristics. When applied to birds, PA-14 allows water to penetrate and saturate the feathers so that with low temperatures (<7 C) and sufficient precipitation (>1.3 cm of rainfall) the birds die from hypothermia. From the time PA-14 was registered as a lethal bird control agent in roosts in 1974 through February 1978, 25 PA-14 spray operations involving 63.1 million blackbirds and starlings at 21 roosts in Kentucky and Tennessee have been conducted by state and federal agencies (Garner 1978). PA-14 was applied exclusively by helicopter, and reductions of birds at individual roosts ranged from 0 to 99%. The purpose of this paper is to review and summarize the results of all the PA-14 operations conducted after February 1978 and to discuss the advantages, disadvantages, and limitations of aerial and ground-based application methods. PA-14 APPLICATION TECHNIQUES The use of PA-14 is regulated by the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Division of Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Animal Damage Control program (ADC), following guidelines set forth by the U. S. Department of the Interior (U. S. Department of the Interior 1976). |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1021&context=ewdcc3 |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
