birding-aus

Poisonous Aussie birds.

To: "'Stephen Ambrose'" <>, "'Carl Clifford'" <>
Subject: Poisonous Aussie birds.
From: "Wedderburn Birding" <>
Date: Thu, 17 May 2012 09:23:21 +1000
Stephen, Carl

>From what I can see in the literature:
(a) Sodium fluoroacetate is partially metabolised to sodium fluorocitrate,
which is 100 times more toxic than the fluoroacetate and this does the
damage
(b) The non-metabolised sodium fluoroacetate is rejected fairly rapidly,
typically within 2 to 3 days
(c) Sub-lethal doses of sodium fluoroacetate are typically metabolised and
excreted within four days
(d) There is uptake of fluoride into the bones, however this is probably in
the form of calcium fluoride (CaF) rather than calcium fluoroacetate or
calcium fluorocitrate
(e) Birds can tolerate up to 400 times the level of sodium fluoroacetate (10
to 20mg/kg) of dogs which can only tolerate 0.05mg/kg

As there doesn't appear to be any bioaccumulation of the fluoroacetates or
fluorocitrates in the body, it would appear that a bird may be toxic to a
fox/dog if it continually ingested the sodium fluoroacetate, however
presumably a bird of prey eating another bird would not be affected,
assuming both birds have a high tolerance to sodium fluoroacetate? 

Some references:
http://www.inchem.org/documents/pims/chemical/pim494.htm
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1032&context=vpc11
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_fluoroacetate

Regards,
Bruce

-----Original Message-----
From: 
 On Behalf Of Stephen
Ambrose
Sent: Wednesday, 16 May 2012 6:31 PM
To: 'Carl Clifford'; 'Stephen Ambrose'
Cc: 'Birding Aus'
Subject: Poisonous Aussie birds.

Thanks Clifford, I thought that may be the case. But it doesn't explain how
sodium fluoroacetate can be stored in the bones of Bronzewing Pigeons,
unless there is rapid uptake by the bones, i.e. before the compound is
broken down.

I also recall from the time when I was a student at the University of WA
(late 1970s/early 1980s) there was some research that suggested secondary
poisoning from 1080 was responsible partly for the decline in the abundance
of the Little Eagle in South-western Australia. I don't know if that finding
was eventually debunked.  If it wasn't, perhaps secondary poisoning occurred
as a result of the consumption of the prey's entrails where the 1080 had not
yet been fully digested/broken down.

Kind regards,
Stephen Ambrose


-----Original Message-----
From: 
 On Behalf Of Carl Clifford
Sent: Wednesday, 16 May 2012 5:08 PM
To: Stephen Ambrose
Cc: Birding Aus
Subject: Poisonous Aussie birds.

Stephen,

Sodium fluoroacetae, AKA 1080, breaks down very quickly once ingested, and
has an extremely low risk of secondary poisoning. Very hard to detect post
mortem, very bad for rich Grannies and Aunties.

Cheers,

Carl Clifford

Sent from my iPad

On 16/05/2012, at 14:06, "Stephen Ambrose" <> wrote:

The poison in Gastrolobium is sodium fluoroacetate (also known as 1080). In
Australia, natural occurrences of sodium fluoroacetate occurs mostly in
Gastrolobium species, and nearly all species in this genus are  restricted
in distribution to South-western Australia.  Twigg & King (1991) found  that
Emus also had a high tolerance to the poison when feeding on Gastrolobium
seeds, but I don't know if it accumulates in the Emu's   body, is
metabolised or excreted.
 
Stephen Ambrose
Ryde, NSW
 
> Reference:
> 
> Twigg, L.E. & D.R. King (1991).  The impact of fluoroacetate-bearing 
> vegetation on native Australian fauna: a review. Oikos 61: 412-430
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: 
>  On Behalf Of Steve 
> Clark
> Sent: Wednesday, 16 May 2012 9:49 AM
> To: Sonja Ross; Birding Aus; 
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Bass Straight migrants and poisonous Aussie
birds
> - birdng myths?
> 
> G'day Sonja and Anthea
> 
> Thanks for your replies.
> 
> I'm aware of the Gastrolobium poison bush in WA.  Anthea has turned up 
> this reference
> 
> http://www.publish.csiro.au/?act=view_file&file_id=MU942057.pdf
> 
> which is good evidence that the pigeons accumulate poison from the 
> seeds of Gastrolobium bilobum in Western Australia.
> 
> Further questions:
> 
> Has anyone ever extracted poison from a Bronzewing and analysed it?
> What is the situation in other parts of the Bronzewings' range?
> Why are Pitohuis claimed to be the first known poisonous birds?  This 
> article mentions others (including Bronzewings):
> 
>
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Publications/ZooGoer/2001/2/intoxnewguineabirds.cf
> m
> 
> It seems that others were known or suspected earlier but the chemical 
> in Pitohui poison was the first to be identified.
> 
> There appears to be no conclusive evidence that Flame Robins migrate 
> across Bass Strait unless Anthea can track down the unpublished 
> research of Balmford and Dennett.  I wouldn't be at all suprised if 
> they do cross the Strait but it would be nice to have evidence.
> 
> Cheers
> Steve
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