Answer: Birds are exposed to insecticides through ingestion by mistaking, they ingest pesticide residues when they trim their feathers with their beaks or may drink or bathe in contaminated water. The effects can range from death due to poisoning to a variety of effects such as weakening of eggshells, deformation and slow growth of chicks, lack of appetite, weight loss, immune system damage, hormonal disruption. In addition, insect-eating birds are at a loss when insecticides cause a drop in the number of insects available, especially when they have chicks to feed.
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Explanation:
Insects are a class of invertebrate animals characterized by having one pair of antennae, three pairs of legs and two pairs of wings (which, however, may be reduced or missing). They comprise the most diverse group of animals on Earth with an estimated thirty million undescribed species, potentially representing more than 90% of the life forms on the planet. Moreover, they can be found in almost every environment on the planet, so they are not only highly diverse, but also incredibly abundant.
Like any species on the planet, insects play a vital role in the ecosystem, so that a change in the population can compromise the survival of everything around them. On the other hand, insects called "pests" are those insects observed in systems and whose populations cause damage to crops. Although both beneficial insects and pest insects are part of any ecosystem and are also present in human-managed systems. <u>Humans combat these pests using insecticides, which are chemical compounds used to kill insects. They are usually very specific since the product only affects the organism it damages, leaving the rest of living beings and the environment unharmed. And they have low toxicity to humans and animals.</u>
The most common way in which birds are exposed to insecticides is through ingestion by mistaking, for example, a pesticide granule for a seed, or indirectly, by consuming contaminated prey (insects). Birds may also ingest pesticide residues when they trim their feathers with their beaks or may drink or bathe in contaminated water. It should be noted that it also depends on the toxicity of the chemicals, the magnitude and duration of exposure. <u>The effects can range from death due to poisoning to a variety of effects such as weakening of eggshells, deformation and slow growth of chicks, lack of appetite, weight loss, immune system damage, hormonal disruption</u>. In addition,<u> insect-eating birds are at a loss when insecticides cause a drop in the number of insects available</u>, especially when they have chicks to feed.
