Magpies, kookaburras and willie wagtails among common Australian birds 'starting to disappear', Neonicotinoids Are Killing the Bees, Butterflies, Birds and . . . ? "It is ironic to think that man might determine his own future by something so seemingly trivial as the choice of an insect spray." - Rachel Carson, Silent Spring Sightings of magpies, laughing kookaburras and willie wagtails are on the decline in some regions, a report tracking the health of Australia's bird populations has found. The State of Australia's Birds Report, published by Birdlife Australia, analysed data collected in more than 400,000 surveys across the country, the majority done by bird-loving volunteers. Editor of Australian Birdlife Sean Dooley said the decline of common birds in parts of Australia was a surprise to researchers. "They're taking indices based on hundreds of thousands of surveys by thousands of volunteers and researchers over the last 15 years to give a trend of what's happening to different groups of birds right across Australia. An example of a common insecticide is Confidor by Bayer sold @woolworths http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-15/australian-magpies-kookaburras-willie-wagtails-in-decline-report/6620580