Discovery of Fenthion Poisoning in Two Japanese Cranes (Grus japonensis) Found Dead in Hokkaido, Japan.

The article presents a study on the discovery of fenthion poisoning in two Japanese cranes that were found dead in Hokkaido, Japan. The Japanese crane is the biggest bird in Japan, lives only in eastern Hokkaido, and is known to breed on wetlands in the summer. In this study, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry operating in scan mode notably revealed the agricultural chemical fenthion in the crane stomachs. Determination of three compounds namely pendimethalin, trifluralin, and fenthion was carried out by the absolute calibration method. Fenthion, a pesticide, tends to have a strong toxicity for birds.