Common pesticide can make migrating birds lose their way, research shows

The experimental study is the first to directly show harm to songbirds, extending the known impacts of neonicotinoids beyond insects

The world's most widely used insecticide may cause migrating songbirds to lose their sense of direction and suffer drastic weight loss, according to new research.

The work is significant because it is the first direct evidence that neonicotinoids can harm songbirds and their migration, and it adds to small but growing research suggesting the pesticides may damage wildlife far beyond bees and other insects.