The present invention relates to cyanopyridine compounds of the general formula (I) and to the agriculturally useful salts thereof and to compositions comprising such compounds. The invention also relates to the use of the cyanopyridine compounds, of their salts or of compositions comprising them for combating animal pests. In formula (I) n is 0, 1 or 2; X is N, N-O or C-R4; Y is N, N-O or C-R5; Z is N, N-O or C-R6; with the proviso that one of the variables X, Y and Z is N or NO and the other two variables are optionally substituted carbon atoms; R1, R2 are, independently of one another, selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C(=O)-R7, optionally subsitutetd C1-C10-alkyl, C2-C6-alkenyl, C2-C10-alkinyl, C1-C10-alkoxy or C3-C10-cycloalkyl, or R1 and R2 together with the adjacent nitrogen form a 3 to 10-membered ring, optionally substituted by 1, 2 or 3 radicals selected from C1-C5-alkyl and halogen, wherein the ring may contain, in addition to the nitrogen and carbon ring members, 1, 2 or 3 heteroatoms as ring members selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, a group SO, SO2 or N-R8; R3 is hydrogen, nitro, cyano, azido, amino, halogen, sulfonylamino, sulfenylamino, sulfinylamino, C(=O)R9, C1-C6-alkyl, C2-C6-alkenyl, C2-C6-alkinyl, C3-C8- cycloalkyl, C1-C6-alkoxy, C1-C6-alkylthio, (C1-C6-alkyl)amino, di(C1-C6-alkyl)amino, C1-C6-alkylsulfinyl, or C1-C6-alkylsulfonyl, R4, R5 and R6 are independently of one another selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, cyano, azido, nitro, C1-C6-alkyl, C3-C8-cycloalkyl, C1-C4-haloalkyl, C1-C4-alkoxy, C1-C4-alkylthio, C1-C4-alkylsulfinyl, C1-C4-alkylsulfonyl, C1-C4-haloalkoxy, C1-C4-haloalkylthio, C2-C6-alkenyl, C2-C6-alkinyl, (C1-C4-alkoxy)carbonyl, amino, (C1-C4-alkyl)amino, di(C1-C4-alkyl)amino, aminocarbonyl, (C1-C4-alkyl)aminocarbonyl, di(C1-C4-alkyl)aminocarbonyl, hydroxysulfonyl, sulfonylamino, sulfenylamino, sulfinylamino and C(=O)-R10.
