Environmental Contaminants in California Condors

Wiemeyer, Stanley N.; Scott, James M.; Anderson, Marilyn P.; Bloom, Peter H.; Stafford, Charles J.

doi:10.2307/3801228

Cited by 79 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 27 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Lead poisoning in raptors is not new -there has been evidence of lead poisoning mortality in bald eagles from gunshot ingestion, and Californian condors from the ingestion of bullet fragments, for decades in the USA (Pattee and Hennes, 1983;Wiemeyer et al, 1986Wiemeyer et al, , 1988. However, as more research has been conducted, an increasing body of evidence of lead poisoning in other species has accumulated.…”

Section: Conservation Measuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many heavily hunted gamebirds, especially those of larger body size such as ducks or geese, are not killed outright by hunters, and carry spent shotgun pellets in their flesh (e.g., Scheuhammer and Norris, 1996). For example, several hundred bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) have died from lead poisoning following shot ingestion (Franson, 1996), as well as several globally threatened species including the Californian condor Gymnogyps californianus in the USA (Wiemeyer et al, 1986(Wiemeyer et al, , 1988, due to ingestion of bullet fragments whilst scavenging. Less is known of the incidence of lead poisoning in free-ranging raptors in Europe and Asia, although incidents of both shot ingestion, and subsequent lead poisoning, have been recorded in many species (Table 1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, feather sampling is simple and non-invasive, and could potentially be of use for future studies. Consequently, we compared lead concentrations in ten feather and bone samples to investigate both cor- Wiemeyer et al (1986Wiemeyer et al ( , 1988 In this paper, we analyse lead concentrations in bones and feathers of Spanish imperial eagles collected between 1980 and 1999 and evaluate the extent to which this species may be subject to lead poisoning.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Lead concentrations in bones and feathers of the globally threatened Spanish imperial eagle

Pain

Meharg

Ferrer

et al. 2005

Biological Conservation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Raptors that consume game species may ingest lead fragments or shot embedded in their prey's flesh. Threatened Spanish imperial eagles Aquila adalberti feed on greylag geese in southern Spain in winter, and often ingest lead shot. We analysed bone and feather samples from 65 Spanish imperial eagle museum specimens collected between 1980 and 1999, to investigate the prevalence of elevated lead concentrations. Four of 34 birds (12%) had very elevated bone lead concentrations. All four birds were young and the concentrations were outliers to the distribution, suggesting probable exposure to lead gunshot. Excluding these elevated lead outliers, bone lead concentrations were correlated with the bird's age at death. Three of 41 feathers (7%) had elevated lead concentrations, indicative of high exposure during feather formation. When these outliers were omitted, feather lead concentration was correlated with the age of museum specimens, suggesting that a high proportion of feather lead was exogenous, deposited after specimen collection. Therefore, careful interpretation of feather lead concentrations is required to separate endogenous and exogenous lead. We discuss the potential significance of lead poisoning in Spanish imperial eagles and other raptors, and recommend measures for its reduction.

show abstract

Section: Conservation Measuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Lead concentrations in bones and feathers of the globally threatened Spanish imperial eagle

Pain

Meharg

Ferrer

et al. 2005

Biological Conservation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…There is evidence that birds reduce their body burden of heavy metals by offloading or excreting metals into their growing feathers, particularly the primary and secondary feathers [147,148]. A number of heavy metals have been detected in the feathers of living and deceased raptor, seabird/shorebird and passerine species [147,[149][150][151][152][153][154][155][156]. Exposure to heavy metals can be direct, namely through ingestion of contaminated material [147], or passive -via atmospheric deposition onto the feathers [154].…”

Section: Feathers: Growth Exposure and Incorporation With An Emphasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Merging Wildlife and Environmental Monitoring Approaches with Forensic Principles: Application of Unconventional and Non-Invasive Sampling in Eco- Pharmacovigilance

Richards¹

2014

J Forensic Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Pharmaceutical residues in the environment have the potential to harm wildlife. A population's fragility or an animal's secretive nature may preclude capture and the use of invasive/destructive sampling techniques that are typically used in a risk assessment. Conventionally favoured matrices gathered opportunistically from carcasses have a finite lifespan, thereby limiting the detection window. This multidisciplinary paper aims to promote the use of non-invasive approaches and optimize use of even the most degraded carcasses. We highlight a selection of promising alternative, unconventional and underutilized sample types that could be applied in environmental monitoring efforts and wildlife forensic investigations. With a focus on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), now under increasing scrutiny in the freshwater and terrestrial environment, we first illustrate current sampling practices and gaps in knowledge by summarizing exposure of: 1) aquatic organisms to urban effluent discharged into waterways, and, 2) scavenging species to veterinary residues in livestock and other carrion. We then consider the merits and limitations of a range of alternative environmentally robust sample options that offer a broader detection interval for NSAIDs, with emphasis on hair, wool and feathers. The viability of eyes/ocular material, bone matter, fecal matter, injection sites, ingesta/pellets and scavenging/coprophagous insects are also discussed.

show abstract

“…Estudos realizados na América do Norte demonstram que os rapinantes ainda contêm organoclorados em seu organismo (GRIER, 1982;SUNDLOF et al, 1986;WIEMEYER;SCHMELING;ANDERSON, 1987 (WIEMAYER et al, 1988).…”

Section: A Tuberculose Aviária (Micobacteriose) Geralmente Causada Pelounclassified

Estudo prospectivo das causas de morte de Falconiformes e Strigiformes de vida livre no município de São Paulo

Joppert¹

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Environmental Contaminants in California Condors

Cited by 79 publications

References 27 publications

Lead concentrations in bones and feathers of the globally threatened Spanish imperial eagle

Lead concentrations in bones and feathers of the globally threatened Spanish imperial eagle

Merging Wildlife and Environmental Monitoring Approaches with Forensic Principles: Application of Unconventional and Non-Invasive Sampling in Eco- Pharmacovigilance

Estudo prospectivo das causas de morte de Falconiformes e Strigiformes de vida livre no município de São Paulo

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About