Toxicity of acephate and methamidophos to dark-eyed juncos

The calculated, acute oral LD50 of acephate and methamidophos to dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis) was 106 mg/kg and 8 mg/kg, respectively. Brain cholinesterase (ChE) activity in birds that died after acephate poisoning was depressed 80% below that of control birds. Birds that died of acute methamidophos poisoning had brain ChE depression of 60%. The birds killed by acephate had brain acephate residue concentrations greater than 2 mg/kg and methamidophos concentrations usually greater than 0.25 mg/kg. Eighty percent of the birds killed with methamidophos had brain methamidophos concentrations greater than 0.1 mg/kg. The five-day feeding LC50 for acephate was 1485 mg/kg. Brain ChE activities of birds which died early in the study were less depressed (51.5%) than those which died at a later date (69.6%). Brain residues of acephate and methamidophos were lower in these birds than in the birds of the acute oral LD50 studies. Brain ChE activity returned to normal within three days after the birds received a single sublethal dose of acephate. These studies indicate that the amount of acephate needed to produce the ChE depression found in other investigations in most dark-eyed juncos exposed to forest applications of insecticide is about one-fifth of the LD50; however, in a few birds the ChE activity may be depressed to near lethal levels.