The issue with birds involves the crop.

Lead masquerades as grit and is used to grind food particles. Birds don't have teeth ya' know.

It's still bullshit of course, but the mental picture of a bird filling its crop with lead particles found in gut piles {as if there are any...} is enough to sway the legislators and even sane and sober voters.

I swear I think Western Culture is ready to utterly and completely collapse...