• Listen to this segment with Nichelle Harriot

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It all starts with the birds and the bees, but now, it may all end there as well.

Neonicotinoids, which are a class of pesticides that scientists have found are responsible for Colony Collapse Disorder or the massive dying off of bees, are now being linked to declining bird populations as well.

A new study that was published in Nature has found that areas of the Netherlands with higher concentrations of neonicotinoids on the surfaces of water, have seen their birds decline by about 3.5% per year. Rather than killing the birds directly, the pesticide is apparently destroying the insects upon which the birds feed.

The study adds to the mounting evidence that neonicotinoids are damaging every aspect of our food chain. Last month a comprehensive four year review by the University of Sussex linked the pesticides to harmful effects along the entire ecosystem from the soil to the ground water to creatures like earthworms and fish. Despite the undeniable links, the US continues to allow the use of these chemicals.

Now, a new lawsuit has been filed by a coalition of environmental groups against the California Department of Pesticide Regulation or DPR over its approval of insecticides which contain neonicotinoids without proper evaluation of its effects.

GUEST: Nichelle Harriot, Staff Scientist at Beyond Pesticides

Visit www.beyondpesticides.org for more information.