DDT residues and declining reproduction in the Bermuda petrel.

Residues of DDT [1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane] averaging 6.44 parts per million in eggs and chicks of the carnivorous Bermuda petrel indicate widespread contamination of an oceanic food chain that is remote from applications of DDT. Reproduction by the petrel has declined during the last 10 years at the annual rate of 3.25 percent; if the decline continues, reproduction will fail completely by 1978. Concentrations of residues are similar to those in certain terrestrial carnivorous birds whose productivity is also declining. Various considerations implicate contamination by insecticides as a probable major cause of the decline.

Poxvirus infection of the white-tailed tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus) in Bermuda.

Lesions caused by an avian poxvirus were identified on the face and nares of fledgling white-tailed tropicbirds (Phaethon lepturus catesbyi) in the natural environment on Bermuda. Between 1958 and 1978, 6 of 81 fledglings found off the nest and unable to fly at departure time had lesions suggestive of poxvirus infection. More detailed nest-site surveys from 1974 to 1978 indicated an overall prevalence of less than 0.5%, involving the fledgling population only.