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USGS · 5221757

DDE thins eggshells of captive American kestrels

Stanley N. Wiemeyer·Richard D. Porter
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Abstract

EGGSHELL thinning in several species of raptorial and fish-eating birds, whose populations and/or reproductive success have declined dramatically in recent years, has been correlated with residues of DDE [1,1-dichloro-2,2- bis ( p -chlorophenyl) ethylene] in their eggs 1–3 . DDE, a common metabolite of DDT [1,1,1-trichloro-2,2- bis ( p -chlorophenyl) ethane] and a nearly universal contaminant in the food of these birds, has been considered to be the major chemical responsible for eggshell thinning.

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Stanley N. Wiemeyer, Richard D. Porter. 1970. DDE thins eggshells of captive American kestrels. https://doi.org/10.1038/227737a0

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