Insect-Eating Wild Birds Pose Low Risk of Pathogen Transfer to Crops
A research paper published in January 2022 in the journal Ecological Applications examines how recent foodborne illness outbreaks have heightened pressure on growers to deter wildlife from farms, jeopardizing conservation efforts. However, it remains unclear which species, particularly of birds, pose the greatest risks to food safety.
The team of scientists looked at the importance of 11 traits in mediating wild bird risks to food safety, and tested whether traits associated with pathogen exposure (e.g., habitat associations, movement, and foraging strategy) and pace-of-life (clutch size and generation length) mediated foodborne pathogen prevalence and proclivities to enter farm fields and defecate on crops.