Pesticide Residues in Wheatbelt Seeds Linked to Cockatoo Paralysis Syndrome

Murdoch University researchers found chemical concentrations hundreds of times above regulatory limits at feeding sites, offering a potential cause for the leg weakness afflicting Carnaby's black cockatoos since 2012.

Endangered Carnaby’s black cockatoos foraging in Western Australia’s Wheatbelt are ingesting pesticide residues at concentrations that exceed regulatory safety thresholds by orders of magnitude. A study published this week in Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology reports that seed samples collected from the birds' feeding sites contained chemical loads far beyond what authorities deem acceptable for food or animal feed, with some measurements reaching hundreds of times the permitted maximum residue levels [2]. The findings provide the first concrete toxicological link to Carnaby’s Hindlimb Paralysis Syndrome, a debilitating condition observed in the population for over a decade that has until now lacked a definitive environmental cause [5].

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