A University of Saskatchewan biology professor who is studying what causes bird population decline says there are 3-billion fewer birds in North America now than there were 50 years ago. Dr. Christy Morrissey says her research team is looking at the consequences of modern agriculture with chemical use.

Previous studies have found that when birds are exposed to insecticides that have nicotine in them (neonicotinoids), birds can rapidly lose weight by eating just one treated canola seed. They lose body mass and ultimately it delays migratory birds. Their data suggests the most strongly affected are aerial insectivores that depend on insects for food, but migratory birds are also affected and farmland birds.

Morrissey’s research is looking into if the bird decline can be reversed.