Pesticides are a critical factor in the decline of Loggerhead Shrikes in Canada’s Prairies

In Canada, the Prairie population of Loggerhead Shrikes Lanius ludovicianus excubitorides occurs in central and southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, and in southern Manitoba. They feed on grasshoppers, beetles, mice, small birds, snakes, lizards and frogs. Scientists observing a nest with eight nestlings watched as the parent birds appeared with a grasshopper every four minutes over the space of an hour! The last 100 years have witnessed the gradual decline of this subspecies. Pesticides are a critical factor in this decline.

Source: Nature Canada
http://www.naturecanada.ca/parks_nwa_current_suffield_speciesatrisk.asp